Man Sentenced for Murder

A 22-year-old man who strangled a woman he shared a house with and then fled to North Yorkshire has pleaded guilty to her murder.

Aaron O’Brien had been in a sexual relationship with Magdalena Januszewska, aged 34, which had led to violence after he spent the night with another woman.

Officers had first become aware of the murder after visiting the property in Copenhagen Way, Norwich, in response to concerns from O’Brien’s father when O’Brien failed to turn up for work and could not be located.

Magdalena’s body was discovered by police in O’Brien’s bedroom at around 2pm on Tuesday 25 January 2011 and the search for him commenced.

Enquiries revealed that O’Brien had gone out for the night on Saturday 22 January 2011, drinking, taking drugs and meeting another woman. He had returned at around 9:30am on the Sunday to the house on Copenhagen Way where each had a bedsit and had left in Magdalena’s car later that day.

O’Brien was traced to the Malton area of North Yorkshire and was arrested at 11.45am on Wednesday 26 January 2011.

When interviewed O’Brien claimed that, when he returned to the house on the Sunday, Magdalena had grown angry with him and had begun shouting at him. In response O’Brien stated he had grabbed her and restrained her whilst at the same time strangling her.

O’Brien beat Magdalena about the head and claimed that he had done so after he realised that he had killed her, and before wrapping her head in cling film and plastic bags and escaping the scene in Magdalena’s car and driving to Yorkshire.

Today at Norwich Crown Court, O’Brien admitted murder and has been sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Detective Chief Inspector Jes Fry, from the Joint Norfolk and Suffolk Major Investigation Team, who led the investigation, commented on the verdict saying: “O’Brien appeared to live a selfish, hedonistic lifestyle and used Magdalena with no regard for her feelings.

"There was no need for him to use such excessive force or to cause so much damage to her body. Her murder was a tragic waste of life and my thoughts are with her family, who have been deeply upset by her death.”