PAWEL CHMIELECKI

KETTERING MAN GETS LIFE FOR BRUTAL MURDER OF WIFE

A 40-year-old man who murdered his estranged wife after she left him has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

Pawel Chmielecki carried out a brutal stabbing of Marta Chmielecka, 31, in October 2021 in Kettering, Northamptonshire, stabbing her a total of 32 times.

The judge at Northampton Crown Court highlighted that the attack was "a sustained and ferocious assault driven entirely by anger and jealousy." Court reports indicated that Marta sustained 19 stab wounds on her face and neck, with an additional seven on her right hand, indicating she tried to defend herself.

Chmielecki pleaded guilty to the murder last year and will serve a minimum term of 18 years and four months in prison.

It was also disclosed that he stayed with her body for nearly four days before attempting to take his own life as police arrived.

Northamptonshire police described the incident as tragic, with Detective Superintendent Joe Banfield stating that Chmielecki had been unable to accept the end of his relationship and had continued to contact Marta despite her efforts to distance herself.

The attack was described as "ferocious," with Marta’s final moments being "utterly terrifying" as she struggled to defend herself.