A cleaner, who murdered her 95 year-old employer, and then embroiled her own son, his girlfriend and another aqaintance in covering up her crime and disposing of the the body, has been given a Life sentence.
At Oxford Crown Court today (7/3), Jolanta Kalinowska, aged 41, of Cavendish Avenue, Ealing, was found guilty of murdering Thea Zaudy on Wednesday, July 11, 2007, at the victim’s home in Notting Hill Gate, London.
The 95-year-old?s burned body was found in a field near Thame on Friday, July 13.
Kalinowska was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum 20 years tariff. Her son, Adrian Lis, aged 23, also from Cavendish Avenue, Ealing, was found guilty of assisting an offender in the commission of murder and sentenced to four years imprisonment. It was he who is alleged to have dragged the suitcase with Mrs Zaudy’s body in it, to a compost heap in a field and set fire to it.
Co-defendants, Monika Sienkiewicz, aged 18, and Lucasz Gajda, 25, both from the Ealing area, were found not guilty of assisting an offender in the commission of murder.
In passing sentence, Judge Hall spoke of “overwhelming evidence” that Kalinowsica had murdered “a defenceless, elderly, frail lady who was otherwise very much ‘on the ball.’ You then went out and spent all her money on a shopping spree. Thereafter, you have been devious and manipulative in getting other people to help you. You made the arrangements for the parcelling up of Mrs Zaudy’s dead body in a suitcase, for taking it on the ‘underground’, putting it in a car and having it driven to Oxfordshire and there, setting it alight.
“It was obvious to me that during your evidence, you have been unwilling to accept the horror of what you did.”
To Adrian Lis, Judge Hall said: “What a terrible thing for a son to hear his mother sentenced to life for Murder! There is no doubt that she was the driving force behind this terrible catalogue of events. You helped as can be seen on the CCTV images, which showed you dragging the suitcase – an image those of us who saw it will never forget.
“You are no angel and I am not sure how much of a devil you are.”
Maureen Daniels, a close friend of Mrs Zaudy, has released the following statement:
?Thea Zaudy fled Nazi persecution and arrived in 1939 from Germany and settled in London. She married and after the war they started a family business, which she continued to run after her husband?s death in 1965.
?When she gave up the shop, she maintained her independence by working in a London department store for another 13 years until she retired at the age of 74.
?After her retirement she continued to enjoy walking and travelling. She played bridge regularly up to the time of her death. Although many of her friends were housebound, she was in constant contact with them and is sorely missed by everyone. She was a proud, kind person, who did not want to be a burden to her friends or anyone else.
?Justice has been done for such a callous crime, perhaps motivated by greed. It is of little comfort to those who knew, respected and loved Thea, but it is justice.?
Neighbour, Tim Jones, said: “I knew Thea Zaudy for 20 years. She faced the challenges of old-age with dignity and courage but was frail. This frailty was taken advantage of to deceive Thea Zaudy and lead to her murder and the macabra deceptions that followed. There is now an empty chair at our residents’ and Bridge meetings.”
The judge, Julian Hall, praised the police investigation and the way the technical and other evidence was presented.
Acting Detective Supt Rob Mason, who led the investigation for Thames Valley Police, said: ?This was a horrific murder of a 95-year-old lady, who had survived considerable adversity in her life only taken by to have it taken by those she trusted.
?It was a complex and painstaking investigation that has been traumatic for all concerned, an investigation that involved extensive mobile phone work and the viewing of hundreds of hours of CCTV. Using this footage, as well as phone and travel records and the usage of Mrs Zaudy?s debit card, we were able to track the defendants through the underground system and then to the site in Milton Common where they attempted to dispose of Mrs Zaudy?s body.
?The forensic work undertaken by scenes of crime officers and forensic scientists was very difficult in the circumstances, but they were able to provide evidence that was ultimately central to the prosecution.
?The investigation moved at considerable speed. The enquiry progressed from the initial discovery of a badly burnt body to the arrest of the offenders within five days. We are very grateful for the assistance of the media with initial appeals, which helped us identify Mrs Zaudy.?
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