This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-46523916
The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 3 | Version 4 |
---|---|
Viktorija Sokolova murder: Boy guilty of Wolverhampton park killing | |
(35 minutes later) | |
A boy who lured a 14-year-old girl to a park and inflicted "incomprehensible" violence upon her has been found guilty of murder and rape. | |
Viktorija Sokolova's head was "smashed in" with a hammer-like object in a "sustained and ferocious" attack. | |
Her lifeless, partially clothed body was found dumped on a bench in Wolverhampton's West Park the next day. | |
The 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named, had denied the killing but was convicted after a three-week trial. | |
Jurors at Wolverhampton Crown Court unanimously found the defendant guilty of murder and rape, but were directed to clear him of a further charge of sexual penetration of a corpse. | |
Lithuanian-born Viktorija went to the park late at night on 11 April after her killer contacted her via Facebook Messenger, the court heard. | |
Once there, the pair met at a pavilion referred to as the "black house", where Viktorija was struck over the head at least 21 times, causing multiple fractures to her skull and spine. | |
Cover-up attempt | |
The boy raped her and dragged her 150m across the park, where he left her draped over a bench. | |
Police said the assault was so violent they found three of the schoolgirl's teeth in the blood-spattered pavilion. | |
A dog walker found Viktorija's body the next morning, initially mistaking it for a blow-up doll left in the park as a "prank". | |
The court heard her killer had claimed the pair had consensual sex and she was "alive and well" when he left to go home. | |
But he was caught on CCTV as he attempted to cover up what he had done by hiding clothing, having deleted Facebook messages and hurled his victim's phone towards a lake. | |
His barristers had suggested Viktoria's parents may have played a part in her death, after it emerged microscopic traces of her stepfather's semen were found in her underwear. | |
But the pair were eliminated from police inquiries at an early stage, and forensic experts suggested the transfer of her stepfather's DNA was via innocent means. | |
The teenager has been remanded in custody until 22 February for a pre-sentence report although Justice Jeremy Baker said there was "only one sentence" he could impose. | The teenager has been remanded in custody until 22 February for a pre-sentence report although Justice Jeremy Baker said there was "only one sentence" he could impose. |
Judge Baker said he was "obviously concerned as to the extreme nature of the offences in this case" and has ordered a pre-sentence psychiatric report. | |
'I keep asking God why this happened' | |
During his defence Viktorija's killer declined to take the witness stand - claiming to be suffering from learning difficulties. | |
But his barristers accused her mother, Karolina Valantiniene, and stepfather, Saidas Valantinas, of murdering the teenager. | |
Traces of Mr Valantinas' semen were found in the underwear Viktorija was wearing when she died, alongside DNA from the offender and traces from a third, unidentified, man. | |
Mr Valantinas said he had no idea why his DNA was on her clothing and said the defence's argument was "unreasonable", "unsubstantiated", and "rude". | Mr Valantinas said he had no idea why his DNA was on her clothing and said the defence's argument was "unreasonable", "unsubstantiated", and "rude". |
The court also heard about his "turbulent" relationship with Viktorija, who was sent to live with her father in Northern Ireland for a couple of months because she repeatedly ran away. | The court also heard about his "turbulent" relationship with Viktorija, who was sent to live with her father in Northern Ireland for a couple of months because she repeatedly ran away. |
Jurors were told there was also a physical altercation between Viktorija and her mother the Sunday before her murder. | Jurors were told there was also a physical altercation between Viktorija and her mother the Sunday before her murder. |
During the trial, Ms Valantinas said, the murderer never looked at her, "maybe because of him feeling ashamed". | |
"This is beyond comprehension that something like that has happened to us," she said. "I keep asking God why and for what this happened to us." | "This is beyond comprehension that something like that has happened to us," she said. "I keep asking God why and for what this happened to us." |
Det Insp Caroline Corfield There was "nothing" in the defendant's background to suggest he would "commit a seriously violent act, let alone the inexplicable levels of violence involved in Viktorija's murder," she said. | |
The pair had been friends, she said, emphasising her killer was not a "faceless person" she met online. | |
"Viktorija could never have imagined someone she knew and trusted would betray her trust in the way he did," she said. | |
Wolverhampton Safeguarding Board has said it would publish a serious case review next year looking at Viktorija's contact with the authorities "to establish whether any lessons can be learned". | Wolverhampton Safeguarding Board has said it would publish a serious case review next year looking at Viktorija's contact with the authorities "to establish whether any lessons can be learned". |