A woman who beat her friend to death with a claw hammer has been told she will spend at least 16 years in prison for the murder.
Ludmila Poletelova (61) was found dead at her home in Lodge Court, Limavady, Co Derry in April 2021. Svetlana Svedova (47), of College Court in the town, pleaded guilty to her murder last December.
At a sentencing hearing at Belfast Crown Court on Thursday, Mr Justice O’Hara said Ms Poletelova, a mother and grandmother, was born in Russia but spent most of her life in Latvia before moving to Northern Ireland in 2009. She was employed at a wine bar in Limavady.
“Ms Poletolova was a lady who helped fellow Latvians and eastern Europeans who were struggling in Northern Ireland,” the judge said. “Over several years she assisted some and helped others to find accommodation.”
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Mr Justice O’Hara said her body was discovered in April 2021 after her employer sent a colleague to her home when she did not turn up for work.
‘Horrific’
A pathologist’s report showed she had been murdered, with approximately 50 blows struck to her head, most likely with a claw hammer. The judge said her death must have been “brutal and horrific”.
He told the court that police suspicion quickly fell on Svedova, who turned up at the wine bar to cover her victim’s shift with injuries to her arms. She told police she had visited Ms Poletolova’s home and they had some drinks but that she did not kill her.
The court heard the victim had lent £800 to Svedova and this was still outstanding at the time of her death. On the day after the murder, Svedova paid £525 in cash off her rent arrears.
Mr Justice O’Hara said Svedova, a Latvian national, maintained her innocence in the face of “overwhelming” evidence until she finally pleaded guilty last December.
“What she did, in short, was to beat her so-called friend to death with approximately 50 blows from a hammer, probably on the Tuesday,” he said. “She left her body lying in the flat until it was discovered on the Friday.
Little remorse
“I do not accept there is any real evidence of remorse and none of the sort I would expect from a defendant who had murdered a helpful older friend.”
The judge said that, even at the end of the 16-year minimum sentence he set, Svedova’s release is not guaranteed. The decision will lie with the parole commissioners.
Responding to the sentencing, PSNI Detective Inspector Claire McGarvey said her thoughts “are with Ludmila’s two sons and two grandchildren who remain heartbroken and distraught by the loss of, and level of violence inflicted upon, their loved one”.
She added: “Indeed, their torment was prolonged by the defendant’s delay in pleading guilty. This was a senseless, cruel and brutal loss of an innocent life.” - PA Wire