Murder trial told of Ligus’s ‘paranoia’
Monday 20th June 2011, 9:00PM BST.
A Shropshire man on trial for the murder of three others became “paranoid” after the death of some of his alleged victims, a court heard today.
Robin Ligus, 59, is standing trial for the murders of Trevor Bradley, Brian Coles and Bernard Czyzewska.
At a previous hearing Ligus was ruled unfit to plead on the charges.
The court has heard that Ligus, who is serving a life sentence for the murder of pensioner Robert Young, had a cocaine and heroin addiction in 1994 when all the deaths happened.
A statement made to police by his former friend and burgling companion, Steven Jones, was read out in Birmingham Crown Court today.
Mr James Curtis, prosecuting, said Mr Jones, who is now dead, got to know Ligus in the early 1990s.
The court heard Mr Jones and Ligus had a “well-established working relationship” with Mr Bradley, an antiques dealer who would buy items they had stolen.
However, following Mr Bradley’s death in April 1994, Mr Jones said Ligus became “paranoid” and thought someone was following him.
He added Ligus asked him what he would do if he accidentally killed someone in a burglary as well as the best ways of getting rid of DNA.
The court heard that Ligus further asked Mr Jones how he would go about burning a body in a conversation which took place after the death of Mr Bradley whose body was found in a burned out car.
The statement, which was made by the former Shrewsbury man to police in 2008, said that Ligus acted in a similar paranoid way following the death of Mr Young.
Ligus listened to proceedings via video link from Woodhill Prison, Milton Keynes.
The trial continues.
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