Pawel Relowicz sentenced to life in prison with minimum of 27 years for rape and murder of Libby Squire

A Polish butcher has today been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 27 years for the rape and murder of University of Hull student Libby Squire.
JAILED: Pawel RelowiczJAILED: Pawel Relowicz
JAILED: Pawel Relowicz

Married father-of-two Pawel Relowicz, 26, dumped Miss Squire's body in the River Hull after raping her on the Oak Road playing field in Hull the early hours of February 1 2019.

The sexual predator, who admitted that he had been out looking for "easy sex" that night, was convicted by a jury at Sheffield Crown Court on Thursday after nearly 28 hours of deliberations.

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During the four-week trial, the court heard how Miss Squire, 21, vanished after she was turned away from the Welly nightclub in Hull for having too much to drink, following a night out with friends.

Her body was found by a fishing boat in the Humber estuary six weeks later on March 20.

The philosophy student was murdered by Relowicz, who picked her up in Haworth Street, just off Beverley Road in Hull, before driving her to the nearby playing fields where he raped her. He then dumped her body in the River Hull, either after killing her in the park or alive, leaving her to drown.

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He was found guilty of rape unanimously by a jury of five men and seven women and guilty of murder by a majority of 11 to one.

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The Honourable Mrs Justice Lambert sentenced Relowicz to life in prison with a minimum of 27 years for the murder of Miss Squire on Friday.

He was also sentenced to 18 years in prison for the rape of Miss Squire. This sentence will run concurrently to the murder sentence.

The court heard a powerful victim impact statement from Libby's mother Lisa Squire, who described how she has lived in two parallel worlds since her daughter was cruelly taken.

Mrs Squire said: "There are no words that can explain the torture of living without my Libby. She was a sister, a granddaughter, niece and cousin.

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“I now live in two worlds where I live as a mother, wife, friend and employee but there is also a world that will run parallel and is a dark and lonely world. In this world I long to die so I can be with my girl. I wake up with disappointment that I will live another day.

The judge praised the “quiet dignity” of Libby’s parents throughout the trial and gave commendations to the Humberside Police officers involved with the investigation, including Detective Constable James Grandidge, Detective Superintendent Martin Smalley, Det Supt Phil Gadd and the officer in the case Paul Walker.