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Woman tells of escape after allegedly being Tasered and buried alive

PUBLISHED December 7, 2011
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Marcin Kasprzak on trial at Leeds crown court for attempted murder of his former girlfriend Michelina Lewandowska

A woman who was allegedly Tasered, bound, gagged and buried alive in a cardboard box by her boyfriend after their relationship ended has told a jury of how she was sure he was going to kill her.

Michelina Lewandowska, 27, told Leeds crown court that she was in the box for around an hour in total before she was able to free herself and that she was convinced she would die.

During the incident in May this year, her former partner Marcin Kasprzak, 25, used a Taser on her and recruited his friend to help, the court heard. The prosecution claims Kasprzak placed her in the box after Tasering her, gagging her and binding her hands and feet with tape. He then is alleged to have buried the box in a shallow grave and placed a tree branch on it.

Giving evidence on Wednesday, Lewandowska told the court: "I am sure that he was going to kill me."

Julian Goose QC, for Kasprzak, suggested to her that his client had only ever intended to scare her and reminded her that the box she was put in had two hand holes through which she could breathe. Lewandowska said: "I can tell you now that they were not left especially or intentionally for me to live."

Kasprzak is on trial with another man, Patryk Borys, 18, charged with attempted murder.

Prosecutors have told the court that Kasprzak attacked Lewandowska because their relationship had come to an end and he wanted custody of their three-year-old son, Jakub.

The trial has previously heard how she prayed to God as she struggled to get out and used her engagement ring to free herself. Once she had managed to escape, she flagged down a passing motorist, the court heard.

The prosecution said: "In a nutshell, this case is about a young man who got bored with his partner, the mother of his child, and he decided to get rid of her."

Kasprak and Borys, both Polish nationals from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, deny attempted murder.

The trial continues.

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