Teenager Jailed For Derby Murder

5 August 2014, 16:12 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

A teenager has been jailed for a minimum of 24 years for luring a woman to a secluded street and stabbing her to death.

Mateusz Kosecki, pictured right, killed Yvette Hallsworth on a secluded stretch of road off Hartington Street, Normanton, Derby.

The 18-year-old, who is originally from Poland, led his victim to the access road behind a row of houses before stabbing her, searching her body and running off.

Miss Hallsworth, 36, suffered fatal stab wounds in the attack, which happened overnight between Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6.

Her body was found by a member of the public on the Sunday morning, Nottingham Crown Court was told.

Kosecki, of Hartington Street, Derby, was arrested on April 8 and charged with murder. He pleaded guilty at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday, August 5.

He has now been sentenced to life with a minimum of 24 years in prison.

Detective Inspector Graham Prince, who led the murder inquiry, said: “This was a brutal murder. Yvette was a daughter, a sister, a mother of two children and had a long term partner, all of whom will miss her deeply.

“I hope this sentence goes a little way to bringing them some comfort.

“Kosecki made a plan and lured Yvette to a dark, secluded location before attacking her with a knife. She sustained a number of stab wounds which caused her death.

“After he had killed her, Kosecki searched Yvette before running off and leaving her where he had murdered her.

“The evidence against him was overwhelming, which may be the reason he has pleaded guilty today.”

It emerged during the investigation into Miss Hallsworth’s murder that Kosecki had attacked other women in the same area – none of whom had reported the incidents to police.

Kosecki’s victims, including Miss Hallsworth, were all sex workers operating in the area around Hartington Street.

At the hearing, two charges of attempted robbery and one of attempted rape were put to Kosecki, which he denied. Those crimes will lie on his file and he will not face a further trial for those offences.

DI Prince said: “It is clear that Kosecki was a predator who preyed on a number of vulnerable women in this area, knowing that these matters would probably go unreported.

“The lifestyle of the three women, who didn’t report these crimes, meant that they were exposed to threats, violence and sexual assault by men who target vulnerable women.

“I want to encourage any woman, in any walk of life, to have the confidence to report incidents of threats, violence or sexual assault to the police.

“If they do not want to approach the police they can report these matters to a number of local charities who work with the women. They can also contact the national charity Ugly Mugs on 0161 629 9561 to report incidents.

“This information will help the police target the men involved in the abuse of women.”