CCTV shows moment Ludmila Poletelova killer disposes of murder weapon after Limavady attack

CCTV footage released by the police shows Ludmila Poletelova's killer dispose of the weapon she used to kill the 61 year-old.

Ludmila Poletelova, was found dead at her home in Lodge Court, Limavady, in April 2021.

Despite her initial claims Svetlana Svedova, 47, of College Court in the Co Londonderry town, admitted hitting her friend more than 50 times with a claw hammer and pleaded guilty to a charge of murder last December when she was handed a life sentence.

At a sentencing hearing at Belfast Crown Court on Thursday, Ms Svedova was told she will spend at least 16 years in prison for the murder.

Mr Justice O'Hara said he had already imposed a life sentence on Svedova but now had to set a minimum tariff on the time she would serve before her case could come before parole commissioners. The judge told the court that Ms Poletelova, a mother and grandmother, had been born in Russia but spent most of her life in Latvia before moving to Northern Ireland in 2009, and had been employed at a wine bar in Limavady. He said: "Ms Poletolova was a lady who helped fellow Latvians and eastern Europeans who were struggling in Northern Ireland. "Over several years she assisted some and helped others to find accommodation." Mr Justice O'Hara said Svedova, who is Latvian, maintained her innocence in the face of "overwhelming" evidence until she finally pleaded guilty last December. A pathologist's report showed she had been murdered, with approximately 50 blows struck to her head, most likely with a claw hammer.

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