A jealous and controlling man who dumped his girlfriend’s body in a suitcase before throwing it the Grand Union Canal has been convicted of her murder.
Thomasz Kocik, from Brent, was found guilty of killing Marta Ligman today (Tuesday November 24) following a trial at the Old Bailey. He will be sentenced at the same court on Friday (November 27).
The body of Polish national Ms Ligman was found in the suitcase in the canal at Little Venice on May 10. A post mortem revealed she had suffered a catalogue of brutal injuries, and a pathologist did not rule out the possibility that Kocik’s 23-year-old victim could have been alive when she was placed into the suitcase.
The court heard that the couple met online and Ms Ligman moved from Poland to live with Kocik, who was described by friends as “obsessively jealous” and violent towards her.
Her last known contact with anyone other than Kocik was when she spoke to her mother on April 28.
At 6.30am on May 1, Kocik, from Buckingham Road, was seen on CCTV dragging a large heavy suitcase to the Grand Union Canal near Old Oak Lane. He was seen again shortly after 7am with wet trousers and without the suitcase.
Police were called to the stretch of the canal near Maida Vale at 2.30pm on May 10 after occupants of a house boat reported a suitcase floating in the water - yards from a boat owned by Virgin tycoon Richard Branson.
Officers recovered the suitcase and found it to contain Ms Ligman's body. Her burnt and cut-up identity and bank cards were also found along the route used by Kocik.
Read more: Police investigation launched after body inside suitcase fished out of Maida Vale canal
Read more: Grand Union canal murder: Victim named as man charged
The victim had suffered extensive injuries, and the post mortem gave the cause of death as “complications arising from blunt trauma to the trunk and limbs in association with hypothermia”. She had also suffered fractures to her ribs in the days before her death.
Kocik told detectives from the Homicide and Major Crime Command that he had last seen his victim on the morning of April 28. He repeatedly told the police and the court that she had left him and returned home to Poland, and continued to use her mobile telephone and Facebook account in an attempt to convince others she was still alive.
Following his conviction, Detective Inspector Sarah McConnell said: “All the evidence points to an abusive relationship, during which Kocik was violent towards Marta in an attempt to control her every movement.
“After killing her, and disposing of her body in an attempt to cover up his actions, he continued to lie to her friends and family about her whereabouts and deny his involvement - something he continued right the way through his trial.
“I am pleased for Marta’s family that the jury rejected his lies, and convicted him of murder today. He now faces a lengthy custodial sentence, where he will have years to consider the devastating impact of his actions.”
