Crown Court: Limavady woman gets minimum 16 year tariff for murder of friend with a claw hammer

A Latvian woman who murdered her friend by striking her over 50 times with a claw hammer will serve a minimum of 16 years of a life sentence before being considered for release.

Svetlana Svedova (47) of College Court in Limavady had pleaded guilty to the murder of Ludmila Poleteliva (61) on April 23 2021.

At a tariff hearing today at Belfast Crown Court Mr Justice O'Hara said that the victim had been found some three days after the attack and there had been 'blood stains on the walls and on a TV.'

The judge said that death was caused by multiple blows to the head by what was believed to be a claw hammer however the murder weapon was never recovered.

Describing the attack as 'brutal and horrific' the judge said that death would have occurred quite quickly due to the severity of the injuries.

The defendant appeared at work with injuries on her arms and asked were people blaming her for the murder.

The court heard that the victim had lent £800 to the defendant a debt that was still outstanding at the time of death.

The court heard that CCTV showed the defendant in the vicinity of the victim's home on the day of the murder and leaving the area around 11.30pm carrying two bags.

She was seen dumping one of the bags in a bin and this was believed to contain the murder weapon and bloodied clothing.

On the da after the murder Svedova paid £525 in cash off her rent arrears.

A coat and a bag found in the defendant's home had blood from the victim on them.

Judge O'Hara said that the defendant had pleaded guilty on December 15 last year and her counsel had said the less said in the case the better.

The judge said there was a 'hint of remorse' in a pre-sentence report that had been prepared on Svedova but 'no real evidence of remorse' in a medical report.

The court heard that the offence was aggravated by the fact the deceased had been a friend to Svedova, the severity of the attack and the fact the body was left lying for three days.

Also the fact the defendant had tried to evade detection by getting rid of clothes and the murder weapon was another aggravating factor.

But, the judge said there was no evidence of premeditation as Svedova had not gone there with the intention of killing her friend.

He imposed a tariff of 16 years which is the minimum Svedova will serve of her life sentence before being considered for release. 

PPS Senior Public Prosecutor Kirsten McKevitt said: “By all accounts from friends, neighbours and colleagues, Ludmila Poletelova, a mother of two adult sons, was a quiet and hard-working woman.

“The victim’s body was discovered by a friend after she failed to turn up for a shift at the wine bar where she worked. Svedova had visited Ludmila’s flat on the day of the murder and when there violently attacked her. A post-mortem examination showed Ludmila had died from severe head injuries consistent with being struck repeatedly with a claw hammer.

“After killing Ludmila, Svedova took money from the victim’s flat, and she was able to pay off a substantial sum in rent arrears the morning after the murder despite having no obvious source of funds. 

“The prosecution team in the PPS’s Serious Crime Unit worked closely with the PSNI to create a compelling prosecution case, including phone records, CCTV, witness statements and forensic evidence, that resulted in the guilty plea to murder.

“This was a brutal attack on a defenceless woman who was entitled to feel safe in her own home. While nothing can bring Ludmila back, we hope the conclusion of these proceedings brings some measure of comfort to her family and friends.”