October 9, 2018 5.21 pm This story is over 64 months old

Man to be sentenced for partner’s murder

He strangled her in their flat

A 37-year-old man from Scunthorpe is set to be sentenced tomorrow for murdering his partner after a seven-day trial at Hull Crown Court.

Rojs Avaliani of Tamar Walk in Scunthorpe entered a not guilty plea at the start of the trial on Monday, October 1 after it was alleged he had strangled 61-year-old Tamara Sinakova in the flat they shared in the Lincolnshire town.

However, a jury returned a guilty verdict on Tuesday afternoon and he will be sentenced on Wednesday (October 10).

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Superintendent Mathew Hutchinson, said: “Our thoughts are with Tamara’s family and friends today who have lost a much-loved mother and friend in very difficult circumstances

“On the evening of Thursday, January 4 into the early hours of Friday, January 5 this year, Avaliani strangled Tamara in the flat they shared in Scunthorpe.

“Avaliani didn’t make any attempt to report the incident to police or to call emergency services, but instead attempted to cover his tracks by asking two men on the Friday afternoon for assistance to dispose of Tamara’s body.

“We were alerted and tracked Avaliani to the address he shared with Tamara, where we sadly discovered her body. He was arrested at the scene and taken into custody, where he was swiftly charged with Tamara’s murder and remanded.

Detective Superintendent Hutchinson added “Tackling domestic abuse, providing support to victims and bringing offenders to justice is an absolute priority for us, and I would like to take this opportunity to urge anyone who is being physically, or psychologically, abused by their partner or a loved one to please get in touch.

“The same applies if you have concerns about a friend or neighbour. We are here to help and support you and we would rather receive calls that turn out to be well-intentioned misunderstandings than for someone to have concerns but not call in case they’ve got it wrong.

“This case is incredibly tragic, made more so for Tamara’s family having to endure the harrowing ordeal of a trial, however I hope the verdict today will bring them some degree of comfort knowing he will be behind bars for a long time and that justice has been served.”