Bury St Edmunds: Man Was On The Run

11 October 2012, 15:44 | Updated: 11 October 2012, 15:49

A Polish man who murdered a jeweller in his home was on the run from prison.

A man who murdered a "vulnerable'' jeweller in his Suffolk home was on the run from a Polish prison, it has emerged.

Ireneusz Melaniuk stabbed 66-year-old Peter Avis more than a dozen times during a burglary gone wrong in Bury St Edmunds. He is awaiting sentencing by Ipswich Crown Court after pleading guilty to Mr Avis' murder on January 13.

Melaniuk had been serving a jail term in his home country for robbery, but failed to return to prison after being allowed day release. The 28-year-old fled Poland before entering Britain.

Following the murder, he returned to Poland where he was later arrested on behalf of Suffolk Police.

It is understood Melaniuk was not on a European watch list prior to Mr Avis' death, so British authorities would not have known he was a wanted man.

A UK Border Agency spokesman said: ``Where foreign law enforcement agencies inform us of individuals who may pose a risk to the public travelling to the UK, authorities are able to take action. Passengers travelling to the UK are checked against a range of watch lists.

Mr Avis was found dead in bed at his flat above Collis & Son in Abbeygate Street, Bury St Edmunds. He had been beaten about the face with a glass ash tray and stabbed 13 times. He lived alone and relied on a walking frame for mobility.

Earlier this week, Pawel Borowiecki, 31, of Roslyn Road, London, and Aleksandra Karpiuk, 27, of Lake Avenue, Bury St Edmunds, were found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary in connection with the murder. Karpiuk was also found guilty of assisting an offender.

They will be sentenced at a later date.