A woman who struck her friend 50 times on the head with a claw hammer was today (Thursday) told she will spend the next 16 years in prison without parole.
During a tariff hearing at Belfast Crown Court, Mr Justice O’Hara told 47-year-old Svetlana Svedova that she had “brutally” attacked fellow Latvian national Ludmila Poletelova in her own home and left her for days before her remains were discovered.
Svedova pleaded guilty last December to the murder of the 61-year-old in what the prosecution had described as a “gratuitous and frenzied attack”.
Read more: Limavady hammer killer struck “quiet and kindly soul” 50 times on the head, court told
The grandmother’s remains were discovered in the blood-soaked living room of her flat at Lodge Court in Limavady, Co Derry, in April 2021. Mr Justice O’Hara said Ms Poletelova had come to Northern Ireland around 2009 and worked in a wine bar in Limavady and was described as a “quiet lady who kept to herself”.
The judge said she had two sons, one who lived in Ireland and the other in Latvia, and “was close to both of them, speaking to them regularly”. Her family listened to the tariff proceedings by remote link.
In a victim impact statement, one of the sons, Sergei, said he had spoken to his mother on April 18, 2021, “just a couple of days before her life was taken”.
Said Mr Justice O’Hara: “Ms Poletetova also helped fellow Latvians and eastern Europeans who were struggling in Ireland. Over the years she lent money to some and assisted others in trying to find accomodation.
“The sort of dependable lady as she was can be gauged by the way in which her body was discovered. She had an arrangement with her employer who would text her each week what shifts she was required to work.
“He sent such a text on Thursday, April 22, telling her next shift would be Friday, April 23. She did not reply to that text or turn up for work.”
As this was out of character, a friend went to her home at 1.15 pm on Friday, April 23.
“That friend found the door to her flat ajar. When she went in she discovered Ms Poletetova lying dead with blood splatters on the walls, ceilings and also on the television screen.”
A pathologist’s report stated the victim had died as a result of “multiple blows being struck to her head and scalp, probably with a claw hammer”.
The autopsy also revealed she had sustained a fractured eye socket and there was “extensive bruising to the back of her wrists and hands consistent with her trying to defend herself”.
“The attack on Ms Poletelova, which involved some 50 blows, would have caused her to die very quickly, probably within 30 minutes at the most. That death must have been brutal and horrific,” added Mr Justice O’Hara.
Svedova, who was living at College Court, Limavady, “quickly fell under suspicion” when she turned up at the wine bar to cover her victim’s shift with injuries to her arms and asked if people were blaming her for death.
Her employer called police who later turned up and arrested Svedova on suspicion of murdering her friend. During interviews with detectives, she admitted she had been at Ms Poletelova’s flat that Tuesday but claimed that when he left, her friend was ‘alive and well’.
In a pre-prepared statement to police, Svedova said she and the deceased were friends, that Ms Poletelova often lent her money which she paid back and that on Tuesday 20th they had been drinking together - but denied attacking her with a hammer.
The police investigation uncovered CCTV footage which showed the defendant arriving at Ms Poletelova’s home just after midday on April 20 and then leaving around 11.30 pm that evening carrying two bags.
Images showed one of the bags being put in a bin at a shop and there was “strong suspicion that this bag contained the murder weapon which was never recovered”.
On Wednesday, April 21, the defendant went to a property management company and paid £525 in cash towards her £900 rent arrears.
Mr Justice O’Hara said a forensic analysis of a coat found in Svedova’s home along with her glasses and a bag “revealed blood which matched that of the deceased”.
“Despite the overwhelming evidence against her, the defendant continued to deny the charge of murder until she pleaded guilty on December 15, 2022.
“There is little or nothing that can be said for the defendant beyond the fact that she eventually pleaded guilty and in all probability she did not go to Ms Poletelova’s home with the intention of killing her.
“In short, what she did was to beat her friend to death, hitting her with 50 blows to the head with a hammer. She left her body lying in the flat until it was discovered and then turned up to work to cover her shift.
“I do not accept that there is any real evidence of remorse and none of the sort I would have expected from a defendant who had murdered a helpful and older friend.”
The judge described as “false and self-serving’’ an explanation Svedova gave about murder, saying that Ms Poletelov had spoken about the defendant’s family in a critical way which had “triggered the attack”.
Handing down the tariff sentence, Mr Justice O’Hara added: “Sixteen years is the minimum period the defendant will serve in prison and it will be the responsibility of the Parole Commissioners to consider whether she should be released.”
The police reacted to the attack, saying the family’s “torment was prolonged by the defendant’s delay in pleading guilty”.
Detective Inspector Claire McGarvey said: “This was a shocking attack in which Ludmila Poletelova was struck repeatedly, and ferociously, with a hammer. The injuries sustained included multiple skull fractures due to over 50 blows to the head.
“We believe that Svedova went to Ludmila’s home during the afternoon of Tuesday 20 April 2021. It’s here that the attack, which the defendant claims resulted from an argument, took place. Ludmila was found dead by a friend, in her own home, on the afternoon of Friday 23 April.
“Svedova initially denied any wrongdoing and it was only after a thorough investigation and working closely with prosecutors in the Public Prosecution Service, that she eventually pleaded guilty. The investigation was backed by CCTV footage and forensic evidence.”
The DI added: “Ludmila, who was from Latvia, had lived and worked in the town for a number of years. While she kept herself to herself, she was greatly respected and well-liked within the community.
“I would like to thank local people for their assistance with this investigation. Your support has been invaluable. Furthermore, Ludmila’s family have extended their sincere gratitude to those who initiated and supported fundraising to allow Ludmila’s body to be returned to her native Latvia.
“Today my 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. 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.”
PPS Senior Public Prosecutor Kirsten McKevitt said: “By all accounts from friends, neighbours and colleagues, Ludmila Poletelova, a mother of two adult sons, was a quiet and hard-working woman.”
She added: “The prosecution team in the PPS’s Serious Crime Unit worked closely with the PSNI to create a compelling prosecution case, including phone records, CCTV, witness statements and forensic evidence, that resulted in the guilty plea to murder.
“This was a brutal attack on a defenceless woman who was entitled to feel safe in her own home. While nothing can bring Ludmila back, we hope the conclusion of these proceedings brings some measure of comfort to her family and friends.”
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