A man accused of murdering a Polish housemate, whose skeleton was discovered months later, told a jury yesterday (Tuesday) he did kill him but had not meant to do so.
Krzysztof Olszewski said he panicked when Marcin Siarczynski grabbed him during a row over money and picked up a knife in the kitchen and stabbed him once in the chest at their address in Jessamine Street, Ravensthorpe.
He told Leeds Crown Court at the time Mr Siarczynski was in the doorway and he pushed him away. In the living room Mr Siarczynski stood for a minute, pulled the knife out from his chest but then sat down and could not stand up.
Olszewski said it was only later he realised how badly hurt he was.
He said: “I sat there for two to three hours, after that I noticed he was lying there and not moving at all. I approached him to check his pulse.”
He then realised Mr Siarczynski was dead.
He said: “I didn’t want to look at him because there was loads of blood on the walls and door and I panicked, I didn’t know what to do.”
“Do you admit you are responsible for killing Marcin,” asked Mr Khan.
“Yes but I didn’t want to hurt him,” replied Krzysztof. He accepted he was guilty of manslaughter.
In March this year the skeleton of Mr Siarczynski was found near the Calder Hebble Navigation Canal.
Krzysztof Olszewski, 21, of Crawshaw Street, Ravensthorpe and his brother Pawel, 25 of Bromley Street, Dewsbury, both deny the murder of Mr Siarczynski between April 30 and July 31 last year.
The prosecution claim he was the victim of a violent assault and that the two had acted together.
Krzysztof said his brother was not present on the night of the killing.
He had a row with Mr Siarczynski over money, and panicked, grabbing the knife from the top of the fridge and stabbing him once.
When he realised he was dead he decided to get rid of the body. He wrapped it in curtains and put him inside a plastic cover from a mattress.
He cleaned up the blood and removed the bloodstained carpet.
As it was getting light he collected his housemate’s own Subaru Forester, loaded the wrapped body in the boot, then drove down to the towpath area off Low Mill Lane.
He covered the body with a jacket and some branches and left.
“Did you want Marcin to die,” asked his defence counsel, Tahir Khan QC. “No,” replied the defendant.
He said he had never told his brother what he had done and denied he was taking the blame for him.
The trial continues.
