Man lured Wisbech murder victim to his death

A man who lured a work colleague to his house where he was beaten to death has been found guilty of manslaughter.

The burned body of Mindaugas Arlauskas (28) was found by a member of the public in an industrial estate in Wisbech at about 5am on May 9.

The night before, Tomas Lazdauskas (24) had invited Mindaugas to his house in Milner Road, Wisbech, following an earlier dispute involving two women.

Mindaugas arrived to find Lazdauskas had been drinking in the house with another man, Donatas Umbrasas (27).

The three men made their way to an upstairs bedroom, but it wasn’t long before tempers began to flare and violence erupted.

Umbrasas swung for the victim, knocking him to the floor before repeatedly slapping and punching him in the face.

He then dragged Mindaugas outside to the garden, where he beat him to death with a metal pole, garden chair and other items he could find in the garden.

The two men then used Mindaugas' bike to transport his body out of the house on to the street outside.

CCTV images captured the men as they pushed the body to a nearby industrial estate, where they tried to destroy evidence of the murder by setting the body alight.

A post mortem examination carried out by Dr Ben Swift at Peterborough City Hospital concluded the victim had died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head.

Lazdauskas stood trial at Peterborough Crown Court and was found not guilty of murder today (Monday). He previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Umbrasas, of Albany Road, Wisbech, admitted murder at a previous hearing.

Both men have been remanded and are due to be sentenced at Peterborough Crown Court on December 18.

Detective Inspector Emma Pitts, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said: "Because of the barbaric actions of Lazdauskas and Umbrasas, a young man has been struck down in the prime of his life.

"While it might not have been Lazdauskas’ intention to commit murder, he knowingly lured Mindaugas to his house, aware of the fact Umbrasas intended to hurt him.

"I hope this conviction brings some closure for Mr Arlauskas’ family."

In a tribute, Mindaugas’ parents said: “We are devastated by the sudden loss of our beloved son. He was much loved by us and our family and will be deeply missed.”