Four men have been sentenced to life imprisonment or lengthy prison terms for their roles in the killing of Tomasz Samel, a member of an organized crime group. Samel was kidnapped, tortured, doused in petrol, and set alight over the loss of illicit cigarettes valued at approximately £1 million.
Neil Jones, 49, and Tobiasz Kozlowski, 38, were sentenced to life after being convicted of murder and conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm. Both men had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to falsely imprison. Jones also admitted to manslaughter.
Kevin Wooden, 46, and Kye Arthur, 35, were found guilty of manslaughter and received 23 and 22-year sentences, respectively. They had previously admitted conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to falsely imprison.
Samel, a father of two, was abducted from his home in Birmingham in March 2019 by individuals posing as Interpol agents. He was then taken to the Liverpool area, where the assault occurred. The motive for the attack was the disappearance of a shipment of illicit and counterfeit cigarettes smuggled from Poland, which were seized by HM Revenue and Customs in February 2019.
During the sentencing at Birmingham Crown Court, Judge Mr Justice Wall described Samel as “vulnerable” when he was set alight, stating he was naked and outnumbered. The judge told the defendants they had been involved in a “truly horrific series of events.” He identified Kozlowski and Jones as the “organisers” of the attack, driven by a financial motive to punish Samel for the lost cigarettes.
Samel was stripped naked and had petrol poured over him before being set on fire. He suffered extensive burns to most of his body. Despite managing to reach a house for help in Bickerstaffe, Lancashire, after being dumped in a remote area, he died on June 21, 2019, after nearly three months in Whiston Hospital. The judge noted that the extent of Samel's suffering between the infliction of injuries and his death was difficult to comprehend.
Kozlowski's wife, Sandra Kozlowska, 38, received a three-year suspended sentence for assisting an offender, having helped her husband evade detection, hide evidence, and move money. Wooden was arrested in the Dominican Republic under a false name and extradited to the UK to face trial. The police investigation involved inquiries spanning multiple countries, including Poland, Greece, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Colombia, France, Scotland, and Wales, where the gang had operations or fled.
