The sister of murder victim Tomasz Waga said her brother was "dumped like a bag of rubbish" by his killers who attacked him for burgling a cannabis factory. Mr Waga was beaten to death by members of an Albanian organised crime group who descended on the scene after the alarm was raised.
Having travelled to Cardiff from London on January 28, 2021, Mr Waga and associated Carl Davies planned to steal £120,000 worth of cannabis plants from a factory in Cardiff. Unbeknownst to them, gardener Hysland Aliaj was in the factory when they broke in and called other members of the crime group, which included Josif Nushi and Mihal Dhana.
The 23-year-old was beaten by Nushi and Dhana, with a baseball bat, a bamboo cane and either them or Aliaj hit him with half a house brick. Mr Waga was also kicked and stamped in the head and body before being dragged out of the house and thrown into a Mercedes car. He suffered 28 injuries to his head and mouth, bruising to his chest and damage to his seventh, eighth, and 10th ribs, to his arms and a degree of swelling and bruising to his brain.
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He was driven from 319 Newport Road and his body was dumped in Westville Road and his mobile phone was taken. The deceased was later found by a passer-by the same evening. The cause of death was given as obstruction to the airways by blood. Following the killing, Nushi, Dhana and Aliaj fled to Albania but were eventually extradited back to the UK before standing trial.
Nushi, 28, of Ninian Road, Roath, and Dhana, 29, of Colum Road, Cathays, were found guilty of Mr Waga's murder following a trial at Newport Crown Court last year. Gardener Aliaj, 31, of no fixed abode was found guilty of manslaughter. Earlier in the trial, Gledis Mehalla, 20, of no fixed abode, and Mario Qato, 27, of Lansdowne Road, London, were found not guilty of Mr Waga's murder. In both their cases, it was directed for the jury to return not guilty after the defence submitted there wasn't enough evidence to put before the jury.
Nushi and Dhana were also found guilty of wounding with intent, in respect to Carl Davies, while Aliaj was found guilty of unlawful wounding. Nushi and Aliaj also pleaded guilty to produce a controlled drug of Class B.
At a sentencing hearing held at the same court on Tuesday, a victim personal statement was read out on behalf of Mr Waga's sister Patrycja Waga. She said: "I am making this statement on behalf of my Mother, My Father and Tomasz' Partner who have all tried to complete their own statements, however are finding this extremely painful and upsetting and have therefore been unable to do so.
"The last, close to two years have been unbearable. Everything changed in a blink of an eye, the moment I answered the call which no sibling should ever have to take, informing me that Tomasz was deceased. I remember the day like it was yesterday and the agony of having to share the news with my mum, dad, his girlfriend and others. I wouldn’t wish this kind of trauma on anyone, no matter what.
"I have been living in survival mode since, and the pain of not being there to comfort him in his last moments of life as his older sister has been unimaginable, not to mention the inhumane way in which he was dumped like a bag of rubbish which will haunt me for the rest of my life, as will seeing his lifeless and battered face during formal identification.
"The events that unfolded on January 28, 2021, did not warrant my brother being killed as no one deserves to have their life taken at the hands of another individual or even worse, numerous individuals as is the case here, regardless of the circumstances, as there were ways the situation could have been dealt with which didn’t need to result in his brutal passing.
"Tomasz had his entire life ahead of him including a new born son who is now fatherless and unable to, outside of the cemetery grounds, celebrate Father’s Day among other things with him. He was robbed of witnessing his son’s countless precious moments and milestones including taking his first steps or saying ‘dad’. It truly breaks my heart seeing him growing up without my brother present and as much as my family and I are here to support him every step of the way going forward, we can never replace the bond he would have had with his dad who I know loved him with all his heart and wanted the best for him.
"I continue to struggle to come to terms with what has happened, knowing he will not be here to share key moments in my life should I one day have children myself or get married. Knowing this fills me with such sadness and this process has impacted me in so many different and negative ways including hair loss, disturbed sleep and anxiety to mention a few. He was my only brother and despite the bad choices he made on the night, he had a good heart and always meant well. He loved football and was a dedicated Arsenal supporter, living life to the fullest.
"There is no time limit on grief and this journey has proved extremely difficult not only for me but my parents too who will never come to terms with what has happened and have been left with a lifelong heartache as no parent should ever have to bury their child. As has Tomasz’s girlfriend who has found herself to be the ‘mum and dad’ to their son, doing her best to stay strong in times of such adversity. We truly hope the sentences given reflect the severity of the loss of a life and the pain inflicted on us as my brother is not the only victim in this, we as his family suffer daily."
In mitigation for Nushi, Stephen Moses KC said there was no pre meditation to the murder and was a response to the burglary of the cannabis factory. He said there was a degree of provocation from the burglars. He said Nushi was previously a man of good character who worked as a farmer in Albania before coming to the UK to provide a better life for his family.
John Ryder KC, for Dhana said his client intended to cause serious harm to Mr Waga, but not to kill him, and there was a lack or pre meditation. He said Dhana was not involved in the cannabis production and was not a member of the organised crime group. The barrister said the defendant had done village work in Albania before coming to the UK to earn more money to support his elderly mother and his family.
Jeremy Wainewright KC, for Aliaj, referred to a letter from a relative which referred to his client's "brave service" as a fireman in Albania. He said the defendant took part in a rescue operation during an earthquake, in which he saved a man buried underground, and was given a bravery award. The barrister said Aliaj was sorry for his involvement in Mr Waga's death and apologised to his family.
Sentencing, Mr Justice Cotter said: "Just before 11pm on January 28, 2021, the body of Tomasz Waga was dumped from a Mercedes car onto the pavement of a residential road in Cardiff. As his sister described it, he was disposed of like a bag of rubbish. He had been brutally beaten with fatal consequences.
"Tomasz Waga was 23-years of age. His death leaves grieving parents, a loving sister, partner and a new born son who will never know his father. The pain and loss for the family will never go away. For them it's a life sentence."
Nushi was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 20 years. Dhana was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 16 years. Aliaj was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, he will serve two thirds of the sentence in custody before being considered for parole.
Following the hearing, detective superintendent Mark O’Shea from South Wales Police said: “Our thoughts are with the family of Tomasz Waga who was a much-loved son, brother, father, and partner to his girlfriend. He was a young man who made some bad choices and was in Cardiff that day for the wrong reason, however that does not excuse what took place on January 28 2021. Events that have left a family grieving and a small baby without a father.”
"South Wales Police has been clear from the outset that we would get to the bottom of this complex case involving organised crime groups from south-east England and Europe. We have chased people across the United Kingdom and across Europe and have arrested people in Germany, France and in Albania. We started off by not knowing who the victim was, and who was responsible, and we have got to the position where we have presented the facts of what happened that night. As this case highlights, international borders are no barrier to us pursuing people suspected of murder in the UK, we have excellent links with law enforcement colleagues across Europe including Albania who have been tremendously helpful throughout our investigation."
A statement from Mr Waga's family read: “No custodial sentence can ever reverse the permanent heartache and pain we feel daily as a family. After close to two years, we however have closure. Tomasz paid too great a price for the events that unfolded the night he lost his life. We do not wish for such tragedy to be experienced by any other family and urge individuals to consider the choices they make and the impact of their involvement, wilful or coerced, on their close ones. He will remain in our hearts forever.”
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