Ligus responsible for two murders, jury rules

A Shropshire murderer serving life for bludgeoning a pensioner to death in 1994 committed two other brutal killings in the same year, a jury has ruled.

Robin Stanislaw Ligus, 59, formerly of Shrewsbury, who will now be de-tained indefinitely in a secure mental hospital, watched via videolink as a Birmingham Crown Court jury found him responsible for the murders of Trevor Bradley and Brian Coles.

A month-long trial heard that Ligus killed Mr Bradley by knocking him out and setting his car on fire in Melverley, near Oswestry, and beat Mr Coles to death with an iron bar at his home near Whitchurch

But Ligus, who will be sentenced on July 29, was acquitted of involvement in the death of Bernard Czyzewska, whose body was found in the River Severn in Shrewsbury in November 1994.

Because of Ligus's mental state, jurors were instructed to rule on whether the father-of-three did the acts alleged against him, rather than being required to return verdicts of guilty or not guilty.

Speaking after the jury returned its rulings today, the families of Mr Bradley and Mr Czyzewska spoke of "closure".

But Mr Coles's family demanded an apology from police describing the initial investigation as a "debacle".

Peter Coles, Mr Coles's cousin, said: "Brian's death was deemed not murder, then days later it was murder, then weeks later not murder.

"We, the family, expect an apology from those who were responsible for this debacle."

Police, who refused to answer questions from reporters, described the 17-year investigation as "long and complex".

Detective Inspector Andy Parsons, who led the inquiry, said: "We respect the jury's findings and hope the outcome goes some way to helping the families of Trevor Bradley and Brian Coles come to terms with their loss.

"This case has shown that the impact upon the families of murder victims and the community does not diminish with the passage of time."

Referring to "wholesale confessions" made by Ligus to cell-mates, police and a psychologist, he added: "Today's result has proved that Robin Ligus was in fact a serial killer and not a serial confessor.

"His victims were vulnerable and were brutally killed in horrific circumstances."

The detective added: "It is unlikely Ligus will ever again be at liberty to become a threat to the communities of Shropshire."

A statement read out on behalf of Mr Bradley's family thanked police for the investigation and said: "It was very hard at the beginning in 1994 to learn that we had lost a brother in such a cruel way. We now know this was by a sadistic human being.

"We, the family, are glad that it has now finally come to an end."

A statement from Mr Czyzewska's family said: "We're glad it's come to an end but we are disappointed at the outcome and sorry it is not the decision we were hoping for."

Ligus was jailed for life in 1996 for killing 75-year-old Robert Young in Shrewsbury in October 1994.

Ligus was charged with the murders of Mr Bradley, Mr Coles and Mr Czyzewska in September last year after a cold case review.

By Sam Pinnington