Bury St Edmunds jeweller was stabbed 13 times court told
Bury St Edmunds jeweller Peter Avis was stabbed 13 times and hit in the face with a glass ash tray during a burglary, a court has heard.
The 66-year-old, who lived alone and walked with a zimmer frame, was found by police dead in his bed at his flat above the Collis and Son shop in Abbeygate Street which he ran.
Pyotr Melaniuk, 28, who was extradited from his native Poland has pleaded guilty to the murder of Mr Avis on January 13.
Two alleged accomplices in a burglary at the home and shop of Mr Avis have gone on trial at Ipswich Crown Court.
Aleksandra Karpiuk, 27, of Lake Avenue in Bury St Edmunds and Pawel Borowiecki, 31, of Roslyn Road, London, have pleaded not guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit burglary.
Karpiuk has also denied assisting an offender by driving Pyotr Melaniuk to Stansted Airport as he fled the country following the killing of Mr Avis.
Prosecutor Peter Gair told the jury: “The shop was a prime target for a burglary: a vulnerable, single person working alone.
“That was indeed what happened. They stole silverware and jewellery.
“The real tragedy was that Mr Avis was present in his flat and was murdered during the course of the burglary.
“Police officers arrived to find disturbing scenes. The flat had been ransacked.”
Mr Gair said that Mr Avis, who suffered a brain aneurysm about 20 years ago, had been dead for several hours when police arrived.
He had been stabbed 13 times and struck in the face with a glass ash tray.
The trial continues.
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Weather for Bury St Edmunds
Thursday 23 May 2013
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 4 C to 9 C
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