Man murdered girlfriend in brutal assault in Wisbech

Dzilva Butiene, (48), was staying with boyfriend-of-four-years, Kestutis Bauzys (46), in Debnam Court, Orange Grove, Wisbech on 5 April (2017) when she was murdered.

The ambulance service raised their concerns with police after discovering Mrs Butiene had died some time before they were called at 8.30pm and had fresh bruises on her lip and other bruises to her face and arms.

Bauzys consistently told paramedics the injuries were caused because the mother-of-two was an alcoholic and had fallen.

Further investigation revealed Bauzys had visited a nearby shop at about 8pm to buy alcohol and when paying mentioned to the shop assistant that his wife was not breathing.

He also spoke to a member of the public and asked her to call an ambulance but the woman didn’t speak English and called her son to help.

A post mortem carried out by Dr Nat Cary concluded Mrs Butiene died of a trauma to the abdomen that had caused a laceration to her liver in two places.

Bauzys was arrested after he was found sleeping in a tent in woods just outside Wisbech on the A47 on 13 April.

He was convicted after a trial at Cambridge Crown Court today (Tuesday)

Detective Inspector Alan Page, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said: “This was a horrendous case of domestic abuse behind closed doors. Bauzys consistently lied claiming Mrs Butiene had caused her injuries herself from falling over. The expert medical evidence stated that these type of injuries would be seen either from a forceful assault, a fall from a first floor building or a high speed road collision where the victim wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.

“We established that Mrs Butiene had not left the flat and that Bauzys had been the only person in her company at the time she would have received the fatal injury.

“In this case officers had not received any previous reports of domestic abuse. We would urge anyone who finds themselves in an abusive relationship, please find the courage to tell someone. You don’t have to come direct to police but it’s not acceptable to live with abuse.”

In a statement Mrs Butiene’s family said: “Dzilva’s death has left utter devastation to all her friends and family here in Lithuania, including her two sons. We have all been affected by her death and remain to take each day at a time.”

Bauzys is due to be sentenced tomorrow (18 October).