Jealous stalker gets life for killing Chelmsford love rival as he slept with ex-girlfriend

Marek Hecko was initially arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly at the police cordon.

Police have released dramatic body cam footage of the moment a drunken murderer confronted officers after stabbing his ex-girlfriend's new partner.

Marek Hecko is seen swigging from a bottle of brandy and swearing at officers after the fatal attack on Adrian Ellingford, 44, in Chelmsford last July.

Hecko, 26, had fled the house in Nelson Grove after stabbing the father-of-two twice in the back, but returned to the scene later that morning with a brandy bottle in his hand and engaged police guarding the scene in conversation.

He told officers he knew what had happened and that he could help.

They arrested him after he became confrontational, and later realised they had captured the main suspect in the murder.

Today Hecko, of Rookes Crescent, was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum of 26 years

During his three week trial at Chelmsford Crown Court, Hecko tried to claim that he turned up after seeing news of the murder, despite the fact police had not released the information at that point.

The court heard how Adrian Ellingford was with a former partner of Hecko’s on the night of the attack.

Hecko had been in a relationship with Mr Ellingford's partner Stephanie Breame beforehand but she had broken it off.

However, he remained obsessed with her, arriving at her workplace and home uninvited and sending her lengthy messages and videos.

Things came to a head when Hecko bought two bottles of wine and walked to the home, which was captured on CCTV.

Ms Breame, who was in a romantic relationship with married Mr Ellingford, woke in bed when he made a comment about "someone" being in the house.

Mr Ellingford then collapsed with the knife embedded in his back.

The court heard Hecko left his DNA at the scene on one of the bottles of wine, and also on the handle of the knife, as it had snapped off when he stabbed Mr Ellingford.

Detective Chief Inspector Louise Metcalfe, who led the investigation, said “Adrian’s death was tragic and caused a huge shock to this small community.

"The team acted quickly to begin gathering evidence and taking statements from those in the area.“Whilst one of our officers was guarding the crime scene, she was approached by Hecko who was heavily intoxicated and indicated that he knew what had happened. Inquiries identified him as a main suspect and he was arrested on suspicion of murder.”

Following the conviction, Adrian’s wife Laura paid tribute to him.

She said: "Adrian was my amazing husband of 17 years. As well as being my husband he was a loving son, a caring brother, a friend to many and most importantly a truly brilliant father to our boys.

"He was a good man, always willing to help friends and neighbours out if they were in a pickle. He was hard-working and caring, and nothing was too much trouble. He even volunteered at the boys’ scout group on a regular basis.

“In all of this it’s the impact on those two innocent boys that is the most heartbreaking thing. Yes, we have all lost Adrian and are dealing our own grief and the consequences of his death but they did not deserve to have their beloved dad taken away from them like this."Having to tell them both that their beloved dad was never coming home was the most painful and heartbreaking thing that I have ever had to do. They are 12 and 10 years old and not really old enough to truly appreciate what they’ve lost.“They will not have Adrian with them through the milestones in their lives. He will never be able to teach them to drive, buy them their first drink or to celebrate their academic achievements. He will never see them grow up into young men who will have partners and families of their own. No one will ever be able to replace their dad.“Adrian you will always be missed by us as your family and you will always hold a special place in our hearts. We miss you every day and love you forever.”

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