WHEN police recovered the body of a man found buried in a shallow grave in woodland they discovered that both his hands had been cut off at the wrists, a murder trial has heard.
Tomasz Dembler's severely battered remains had been dumped near to a North East country park hours after he was allegedly murdered in March last year.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the father-of-one's body was located on April 12 when two teenage girls spotted something unusual and realised it was toes poking out from soil while they were out on a walk.
Mr Makepeace QC, prosecuting, said: "Each hand had been severed from the body at the wrist using a sharp implement, today neither hand has been recovered."
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The 39-year-old, who had connections to Darlington and Middlesbrough, was last seen alive picking up a pizza on March 20 and several hours later he was murdered, jurors were told.
Mr Makepeace QC said analysis of Mr Dembler's mobile phone showed that the last use of it occurred at 3.36am on Sunday, March 21, in the North Ormesby area of Middlesbrough.
Jurors heard how the alleged victim was living at the home of one of the defendants – Adam Czerwinski – at the time of his death.
Czerwinski, 45 of Edward Street, North Ormesby, Middlesbrough, is one of five Polish nationals charged with murder.
His co-accused are his cousin Rafal Chmielewski and his partner Monika Solerska; his brother-in-law Tomasz Recycki; and their friend Zbigniew Pawlowski.
Mr Makepeace said once Cleveland Police had identified it was Mr Dembler who had been discovered in the woodland, they were able to find out his mobile number and examine the use of that number but the phone was never recovered.
Mr Dembler had a fractious relationship with his family and friends after he started drinking heavily and taking drugs, the court heard.
The final message he sent from his mobile phone, and the last recorded use, was to message his estranged mother telling her to 'leave him alone'.
Jurors were told that detectives believed that Mr Dembler was murdered in the house on Edward Street, and they examined ANPR records and phone data of the people they believe were in the house that night.
Mr Makepeace said that the body can’t have been dragged that distance to the woodland, he said it would have to have been moved using a vehicle.
A trawl of CCTV identified two Mercedes registered to Rafal Chmielewski and Monika Solerska, which were spotted moving between the address and the site where Mr Dembler's body was buried on the day he died – Sunday, March 21.
Jurors heard that there was no dispute that Mr Dembler was killed in the house on Edward Street but the three male defendants are all going to blame Pawlowski for the murder.
The 41-year-old, of Leven Street, Newport, Middlesbrough; Chmielewski, 37, of Birchington Avenue, Grangetown; Reczycki, 37, of Ashfield Avenue, Grove Hill, Middlesbrough; Solerska, 37, of Birchington Avenue, Grangetown; and Czerwinski, 45, of Edward Street, North Ormesby, all deny murder.
The trial continues.
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