Robin Ligus

Case record: Robin Stanislaw Ligus

Background

Robin Stanislaw Ligus was a father-of-three who was serving a life term for the murder of Robert Young during a burglary at the 75-year-old's home in Shrewsbury in 1994. His mother, Phyllis Ligus, said he was “lovely little lad” and that he was not treated any differently from his nine brothers and sisters. She said: “We've got three lads and they were all treated the same,” and “They never got into trouble the other two.” She said he had been “in and out of prison since the age of 18” until he was jailed for the latest time 17 years before 2011. She believed his drug addiction contributed and said: “It was just in him. I don't know why he did it.” His father, Stanley Ligus, was confined to a wheelchair due to a stroke and rheumatoid arthritis, which meant he was unable to take Phyllis to visit Robin in prison in Buckinghamshire. Phyllis Ligus said she and Robin wrote to each other every week and said: “I can't blame anyone else. He had a mind of his own,” and “I don't know why he did it. He was a lovely little lad.” She struggled to explain why he turned to a life of crime.

Phyllis Ligus said she believed Robin killed Robert Young over a perceived insult, stating: “That was awful (that he) killed Robert Young.” She said: “He lived not far from where we lived.” She said she had heard Mr Young had insulted Robin, and quoted: “Robin wouldn't forget that. (But killing him) was a stupid thing to do.” She was proud of her other two sons and said they had never been out of work.

The offence

The jury found Ligus responsible for the murders of Trevor Bradley and Brian Coles and acquitted him of involvement in the death of Bernard Czyzewska. The court had been told that Ligus was declared unfit to plead because of his mental state, and the jury had been instructed to determine whether the defendant had been responsible for the acts that led to the deaths of the three men.

Ligus was serving life for killing Robert Young in Shrewsbury in October 1994.

The jury also found that Ligus killed:

• Trevor Bradley, a 53-year-old, in April 1994, with his remains found in a burnt out car in Melverley.
• Brian Coles, a 57-year-old, whose body was found in his home in Higher Heath, near Whitchurch, having been beaten to death with an iron bar.

Bernard Czyzewska was acquitted of involvement in his death. His body had been found in the River Severn in Shrewsbury in November 1994.

Investigation

Police reopened files into the deaths of the three men after new evidence came to light. Detective Inspector Andy Parsons said the 17-year investigation was “long and complex.” Police described the cold case review as leading to the charges filed in September last year. Andy Parsons said: “We respect the jury’s findings and hope the outcome went some way to helping the families of Trevor Bradley and Brian Coles come to terms with their loss.” He also said: “This case has shown that the impact upon the families of murder victims and the community does not diminish with the passage of time.”

Andy Parsons referred to Ligus making “wholesale confessions” to cell-mates, police and a psychologist, and said: “Today’s result has proved that Robin Ligus was in fact a serial killer and not a serial confessor. “His victims were vulnerable and were brutally killed in horrific circumstances.” The detective added: “It is unlikely Ligus will ever again be at liberty to become a threat to the communities of Shropshire.”

Lig us allegedly told a psychologist and his cellmate that in the same year he killed Mr Young he also killed Mr Bradley, Mr Coles and Mr Czyzewska. The prosecutor said he “confessed in full” during a formal police interview in January 2000, but owing to inconsistencies in his account, no charges were brought for the three unsolved murders at that time. Further evidence emerged following the exhumation of Mr Bradley's body.

Micky Bradley, the youngest of the Bradley family's 22 children, recalled the day his brother's body was discovered and said: “I had a phone call from my sister asking me if I'd seen the newspaper and I said yes but I never took notice of it. “I just saw something about a burnt out car I thought had been stolen.” He said his sister explained that police had been at her door to say a body had been found in the back of the car and that they strongly believed it was his brother Trevor, and said: “He said it had been a ‘horrific’ time for his family.” He also said: “My heart goes out to them, they're lovely people.” He said that over the years several elder family members had died so they had never got answers as to who killed Trevor and quoted: “Life goes on. I've lost a lot of members of the family but they've always said 'No matter how long it takes, justice will be done'.” He added: “I hope they're up there somewhere taking note of what's happening.”

Arrest / charges

Ligus was charged by West Mercia police with the murders of all three men in September last year after a cold case review.

Trial

The month-long trial at Birmingham Crown Court resulted in a jury finding Ligus responsible for the murders of Trevor Bradley and Brian Coles and acquitting him of involvement in the death of Bernard Czyzewska. Jurors were instructed to rule on whether Ligus had been responsible for the acts alleged because he had been declared unfit to plead following psychiatric assessment.

In court, prosecutor James Curtis QC said it was up to the jurors to decide whether the father-of-three was “serial killer or just a serial confessor”. The prosecution claimed Ligus previously lived in Middletown Square, Shrewsbury, and that he was a heroin and cocaine user who committed the crimes to obtain money for his drug addiction.

For Trevor Bradley, the prosecution alleged that Ligus hit Mr Bradley on the head before setting fire to his car in Melverley where his body was found in April 1994. For Brian Coles, the trial heard his body was discovered six months later following a burglary at his home in Higher Heath, near Whitchurch, and for Bernard Czyzewska, the QC said Mr Czyzewska was thrown into the River Severn in Shrewsbury in November of that year.

During the trial, Ligus watched via videolink as the jury made its findings.

Sentencing

Ligus had been jailed for life in 1996 for killing Robert Young in Shrewsbury in October 1994.

After the 2011 trial, he was ordered to be detained indefinitely in a secure mental hospital. The material said the court had been told he suffered from the effects of a stroke, and the order followed psychiatric assessment and the jury’s findings that he was responsible for the murders of Trevor Bradley and Brian Coles.

Ligus was due to be sentenced later in July 2011.

Appeals

No appeals were stated.

Outcome

A jury found Ligus responsible for the murders of Trevor Bradley and Brian Coles and cleared him of involvement in the death of Bernard Czyzewska. The outcome was described by the families as providing “closure” for Trevor Bradley’s family and Bernard Czyzewska’s family. Brian Coles’s family demanded an apology from police describing the initial investigation as a “debacle.”

Peter Coles, Mr Coles’s cousin, said: “Brian’s death was deemed not murder, then days later it was murder, then weeks later not murder. “We, the family, expect an apology from those who were responsible for this debacle.”

A statement read out on behalf of Mr Bradley’s family thanked police for the investigation and said: “It was very hard at the beginning in 1994 to learn that we had lost a brother in such a cruel way. We now know this was by a sadistic human being. “We, the family, are glad that it has now finally come to an end.”

A statement from Mr Czyzewska’s family said: “We’re glad it’s come to an end but we are disappointed at the outcome and sorry it is not the decision we were hoping for.”

Police refused to answer questions from reporters, and described the 17-year investigation as “long and complex.” The inquiry was led by Detective Inspector Andy Parsons.

Aftermath

Ligus was due to be considered for release this year, but Phyllis Ligus said she did not think he would ever be released.

Phyllis Ligus said she did not know what led her son to kill, remembered him as a “lovely little lad,” and said: “We've got three lads and they were all treated the same” and “They never got into trouble the other two.” She said she believed his drug addiction contributed and said: “It was just in him. I don't know why he did it.” She said she would hold on to the memory of the little boy she once knew.

Micky Bradley said he felt sorry for Ligus’s parents and stated: “My heart goes out to them, they're lovely people.” He said there had been no animosity between the families despite Ligus’s sister being married to one of the Bradley brothers, and he said: “Life goes on.