Category: Thame news

A cleaner on trial for murdering her employer and putting her body in a suitcase before disposing of it near Thame, denied in court today that she killed 94 year-old Thea Zaudy.

PREVIOUS OFFENCE

Jolanta Kalinowsica, 41, admitted that she had spent time in prison in the United States in 2004, for stealing thousands of dollars from her then employer, but when asked directly by her defending barrister:”Did you kill Thea Zaudy?” replied: “I don’t kill Mrs Zaudy.”

DIARY ENTRIES

The jury was shown a diary belonging to Kalinowsica, in which two entries seemed to record sums of money she said Mrs Zaudy borrowed from her, just before Mrs Zaudy disappeared. Kalinowsica maintained that Mrs Zaudy often borrowed money from her but always repaid it. She said that Mrs Zaudy has given her permission to use her Visa card to buy furnishings for her flat in lieu of the borrowed money, money Kalinowsica said she had saved up from working long hours at the Hilton Hotel, amongst other places, and from the sale of a large house in Poland.

Contrary to previous evidence from friends of Mrs Zaudy that she did not like cheques and bank cards, Kalinowsica stated that Mrs Zaudy had wanted to pay her back with a cheque but that her husband, Karl Coyn, would not let her accept a cheque.

She said that her employer often played “for real money” with friends in her flat, and that she would often see envelopes with thousands of pounds in them, some marked “Bridge Greenford.” She recalled two male visitors to the flat, one respectable-looking that she took to be Mrs Zaudy’s accountant, and the other, “a little dirty, like a worker” who brought Mrs Zaudy money.

WHY WAS SHE TRANSPORTING WET BEDDING AROUND THE LONDON TUBE SYSTEM IN A SUIT CASE?

Kalinowsica told the court that Mrs Zaudy often left blood and banana-stained bedding soaking in her bath for Kalinowsica to take to her own home to wash, because she did not have a washing machine or dryer.
Kalinowsica said that Mrs Zaudy often suffered from a bleeding mouth and that, on Kalinowsica’s advice, she was treating an injury to her leg and the bleeding gums with Kalinowsica’s urine which she brought round every day.

Mrs Zaudy’s GP had confirmed earlier in court that Mrs Zaudy was being treated for a leg injury at the local health centre, but said she was not aware of any problems with Mrs Zaudy’s mouth or teeth, apart from the fact that they were not aesthetically good.

SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE – summary

Blue plastic bag found in Mrs Zaudy’s flat containing cigarette butt with DNA of Kalinowsica and blood stains in and on the bag matched Mrs Zaudy’s DNA

DNA from Sienkiewicz found on soft drinks can in bin.

Blood on carpet in spare room – wiped as if trying to clean; more blood in same area wiped, some removed – no DNA.

Yellow pillow found with blood stain, with impression of part of footwear on it – Mrs Zaudy’s DNA

Blood found on more bedding in the flat matching Mrs Zaudy’s DNA.

Jalanta Kalinsowsica will continue to give evidence for the defence tomorrow (Wednesday, Feb 27) and will then be cross-examined by the Prosecution.

A THAME man who started a fire that destroyed a

THE jury in the trial of four people involved in the brutal murder, dumping and attempted destruction by fire of the body of an elderly lady, today heard from the victim’s accountant, from a friend of three of the accused and from the leading detective in the case.
Abraham Shina, who had been the murder victim, Mrs Thea Zaudy’s accountant, told the court that, despite his reassurances, his friend, though “comfortably off,” was worried that if she had to go into more supported accommodated, she would run out of money. (The woman accused of Mrs Zaudy’s murder, her cleaner, Jolanta Kalinowsica, has insisted that Mrs Zaudy had borrowed money from her to pay gambling debts.)

VICTIM ACCUSED CARER OF THEFT

Mr Shina told the jury that Mrs Zaudy has spoken to him of losing only ‘tens of pence’ in Bridge games.
Mr Shina confirmed that Mrs Zaudy kept ‘hundreds of pounds’ in cash around her home, and spoke of how

MR Praminder Mankoo, aged 46, of Bicester Road, Oakley, was charged on Friday (22/2) with three offences of sexual assault on women over the age of 16.
He has been released on police bail and will appear at Oxford Magistrates? Court tomorrow (26/2).

Mr Mankoo was previously charged with seven offences of sexual assault on women over the age of 16 in December 2007. He has been bailed for these offences to appear at Oxford Crown Court on Friday, February 29.

The offences are alleged to have taken place between 2002 and 2007 at a private clinic in Thame.

A HOME OFFICE Pathologist said today that a murdered pensioner whose burned remains were found dumped near Thame, was probably killed by strangling.
Dr Nicholas Hunt, giving evidence at the trial of four Poles in connection with the murder, also described how his examination of Mrs Thea Zaudy’s body showed that she had a broken hip, signs of trauma to the top of her head and injuries to her face and around her eyes, all of which occurred before she died of strangulation.
He agreed with the Prosecution that: “The over-all picture of injuries would suggest that Mrs Zaudy had been attacked, kicked and stamped on and manually strangled.”

When cross-examined by the Defence, Dr Hunt agreed that Mrs Zaudy’s neck injuries would indicate a moderate amount of pressure to the neck, and that he could not exclude a fall causing some of her injuries. It could not be ascertained though whether that fall was accidental or whether she had been pushed over.

The jury also heard evidence from a forensic, Telecommunications expert, Mr Terry Cairns, who produced plans, maps and other data that appeared to track the movements of the four defendants, Jolanta Kalinowsica, Monilca Sienkiewicz, Adrian Lis and Lukasz Gajda, via mobile phone calls and texts – right from July 12, through to July 14 – a time line that tracked their movements around the London underground system from their home station at Nottinghill Gate, to Milton common and back to Ealing again – and places in between, including a petrol station where they purchased a can of petrol.
Mr cairn’s timing evidence seemed to tie in with CCTV evidence also shown today, where the jury saw Kalinowsica, Sienkiewicz and Lis caught on camera at various tube stations and shops.
One text, sent around 11.18 am on July 12, from Sienkewicz to her boyfriend, Lis, read: “Now Zaudy God yuk yuk then shopping.”
Another text from Lis to Sienkewicz, at around 9.07pm on the same day, translated as: “I want to you to be with you now sweet heart I love you. I hope you will not be very long. bye”
Mr Cairns agreed with the Prosecution’s proposition that the evidence showed three of the defendants, in a car, roaming around the general vicinity of where Mrs Zaudy’s body was dumped (allegedly looking for a suitable site to dump and burn it.)

The case continues tomorrow when the court will hear scientific evidence, including that related to blood found on a sheet on Mrs Zaudy’s bed. The Prosecution hopes to bring its case to a close on Monday.

Photo: The field in Rycote Lane, near Thame, where the burned remains of Thea Zaudy were found by a farm worker. Courtesy of the BBC.

YESTERDAY was ‘a momentous’ day for Thame, says the Chair of Thame Town Council’s Planning committee, which has given its approval to a proposed new football stadium and associated facilities for the town.
Cllr Don Butler, the Chairman of the committee, today told ThameNews.Net: “The committee was very impressed with the quality of this application. It has been well thought out and it is obvious that a lot of hard work had gone into it.
“I believe that the whole project will be a tremendous boon to aspiring young footballers and that Thame will be extremely proud of what will no doubt be a fantastic asset to the town.”

Addressing the committee last night(Tues 19.02),Tim Green, the Chairman of Thame Boys and Girls, part of the Thame Football Partnership, said: “This application is the next step to fulfilling our vision.”

Nigel Hargreavies from the Football Association also supported the application, saying that it would bring together junior and senior players, amounting to 23 teams, and bring enormous benefit in fitness and social advantages to the whole community. He commended the volunteers and particularly the Chairman of Thame United and the Thame Football Partnership, Jake Collinge for their “extraordinary work over the last two years.
He explained that the project had the support of two, independent Board members who bring their financial and commercial expertise to make sure that the it is managed in “an ethical and corporately responsible way.”

The new proposed facility would be on the 20-acre Church Farm site on the northern edge of Thame. The main complex comprises a clubhouse with community facilities/function rooms, changing rooms, offices, corporate board room for match day hospitality, a large function facility for up to 250 people and community changing rooms.
Extra facilities would include an external marquee to create additional function room space thereby facilitating wider community use of the facilities. As well as a main floodlit football pitch, the plans would also incorporate a 40m x 30m 3G floodlit artificial pitch (AGP), three additional full-size grass pitches and four small size pitches.

All members of the committee welcomed and recommended approval of the scheme, although Cllr David Laver said that he would like to see more planting to provide more screening to the north and west of the site and hoped that the flood lighting would be an improvement on that at the old Windmill Road site which he said lit up properties around the ground.
Cllr Lionel Morbey said that he would like to see double the number of cycle parking places to 15.

The district council has received 100 letters of support for the scheme and nine objections, the latter raising concerns about flood lighting, parking and noise from functions in the proposed marquee.

The scheme will shortly go before South Oxfordshire District Council who have the final ‘say so’ as to whether the scheme can go ahead. But the building cannot go ahead until a housing development plan for Thame United’s old ground in Windmill Road, Thame, is approved, and

THE jury in the trial of four people accused in connection with the murder of an elderly woman, dumping her body near Thame and then setting fire to it, today heard from the two friends of hers who first alerted the police to her disappearance. They heard too, how the woman accused of murdering 94 year-old, Mrs Thea Zaudy, told two of her alleged accomplices that a suitcase they carried around the London tube contained wet blankets.

Oxford Crown Court also heard Queen’s Council for the Prosecution describe how evidence would show that Jolanta Kalinowsica, her son, Adrian Lis and his girlfriend, Monilca Sienkievicv, used Mrs Zaudy’s Debit card to spend around

FOLLOWING a robbery at knife-point at The Chocolate Box, Thame, a couple from Aylesbury have been charged with the robbery which took place at around 5pm last Friday, February 15.
The proprietor of the shop, who was the victim of the robbery, was uninjured though still shaken today. She told ThameNews.Net how the couple were seen driving off towards Aylesbury by Traffic Warden Peggy Long, who took note of the licence plate and contacted the police. They then took chase and caught up with the couple’s car at a roundabout in Aylesbury where they were apprehended.
Rebecca Hampson, aged 24, and James Scott, aged 32, both of Terry Drive, Aylesbury, have been remanded in custody and were due to appear before Oxford Magistrates? Court today (18/2).

Photo: Thame news agents, The Chocolate Box, North Street, Thame.

PREPARATIONS for the trial of four people accused of involvement in the murder of an elderly woman whose burned remains were dumped in a suitcase near Thame, began today.
The jury of six women and six men were sworn in this morning, as were four translators, one each for the four Defendants, Jolanta M Kalinowsica, 41, of Cavendish Avenue, Ealing, who is on trial for murder, Monilca Sienkiewicz, 19, for assisting an Offender by the removal of evidence, knowing her to be guilty of an offence, Adrian Ryszard Lis, 23, and Lucasz Gajda, 25, also from Ealing, who are both, with Sienkiewicz on trial for assisting an offender to dispose of the body of her alleged victim, 94 year-old Thea Zaudy from Nottinghill, London.

The offences are alleged to have occurred between July 10 – 14, 2007.

The burned remains of Mrs Zaudy’s body were found by a farm worker in a field off Rycote Lane, in July, last year.

The trial, which will involve the evidence of more than 30 people, will begin in earnest tomorrow morning, and is expected to last at least three weeks.

THAMES Valley Police has increased its share of the council tax bill for next year, by 4%.
The increase means the authority now charges the average band D council tax payer