Student allegedly raped and murdered after night out may have got "lost" and "disorientated" before "falling into a river", Sheffield Crown Court told

A 21-year-old student allegedly raped and murdered after a drunken night out may have got "lost" and "disorientated" before "falling into a river", a court has heard.
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Libby Squire vanished after spending the evening with pals in Hull, East Yorks., on February 1, 2019, and her body was recovered from the Humber Estuary seven weeks later.

Polish butcher Pawel Relowicz, 26, is accused of finding Libby Squire "drunk and vulnerable" then “stalking” her before picking her up in his car and raping her then dumping her body.

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Libby Squire.Libby Squire.
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A court earlier heard Relowicz had "uncontrollable sexual urges" and previous convictions for “sexually motivated” crimes in which he “prowled” around the student area of Hull.

It was also heard Relowicz's semen was found on Libby's body during an examination.

Nicola Taylor, a senior forensic scientist, told the court on Friday (22 Jan) a vaginal swab of Libby's body identified sperm cells that matched the DNA profile of Relowicz.

This morning (Mon) Sheffield Crown Court heard the defence opening from Oliver Saxby QC, who admitted his client is a "disgusting" sex pest but denied he killed Libby.

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He said on the night of her disappearance Libby was "extremely vulnerable to her own misadventure" and she may have fallen into a river.

Mr Saxby told the court: "Her judgment is likely to have been impaired. Ditto, her thought-process and her decision-making. Her awareness of danger is likely to have been reduced.

"She is likely to have had a lack of interest or concern in her environment and she is likely to have been confused. Hence, she may have taken the wrong route.

"She may have got lost. She may have been unaware of obvious danger. She may have been disorientated in the dark.

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"She may have found it hard to contextualise distant lighting. She may have become distressed. None of this was rocket science."

He added: "What made Libby Squire vulnerable to attack is also undeniably what might have led to her getting lost, becoming utterly disorientated and falling into the river."

The court earlier heard on the night of her disappearance Libby was refused entry to a club because she was too intoxicated then got a taxi home but never went inside.

Last week a number of witnesses told the court they saw Libby in a drunken and distressed state on the street shortly before she went missing.

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The prosecution allege Relowicz targeted her in this vulnerable position and pounced.

The court previously heard the defendant has several convictions for a string of bizarre sexually motivated crimes committed in the 18 months before Libby vanished.

His offences include masturbating in public, spying on women during intimate encounters and stealing sex toys and underwear.

It was heard Relowicz pleaded guilty to three counts of burglary, four counts of voyeurism and two counts of outraging public decency concerning his previous crimes.

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Mr Saxby told the court: "To say he has a problem barely scratches the surface. How he has behaved, what he has done – it is disgusting.

"He has violated homes, he has violated the intimate possessions of student girls, he has violated intimate moments and he has expressed his enjoyment at all of this by masturbating at the time, and elsewhere – including in public places.

"It is disgusting. What he did will have been extremely frightening and you will hate him for it, of course. Why wouldn’t you?"

He added: "He has found it very difficult to accept he has a problem. He has lied to his wife. He has lied to the court. He has lied to himself.

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"Perhaps he may want to minimise it to you. Why? Because his behaviour is so gross; and, perhaps, we would say, because – in the context of this case – he feared that if he admitted it, it would count against him."

The barrister told the court although his client is guilty of the previous offences, that does not mean he is guilty of raping and killing Libby.

He said Relowicz has no record of threatening behaviour and that the prosecution has failed to prove he has ever shown "aggression" or "violence".

Mr Saxby added: "It is not this that gets him off, so to speak."

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He also argued against the prosecution's case Relowicz murdered Libby.

The barrister said: "There is no evidence of any sort of violent attack – right down to each of her thin hooped earrings being in place and her delicate neck chain being intact when her body was found."

Mr Saxby told the jury they would hear from two witnesses who heard screams from Oak Road Playing Fields, where Relowicz is accused of dumping Libby's body.

He said their evidence "does not fit" the prosecution "theory" that the screams were caused when Relowicz was attacking her, because he was at home at the time.

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The barrister added there are additional issues with prosecution's timeline, which he said relies on the Relowicz getting Libby into the park, having sex with her, killing her and putting her into the river within just seven and a half minutes.

Relowicz, who denies rape and murder, is expected to give evidence later today.

The trial continues.

A message from the editor

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a digital subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.