Tomas Uptas guilty of murdering his girlfriend

03/08/2010

A Lithuanian man who strangled his girlfriend, armed himself with a gas powered BB gun and threatened supermarket shoppers, was convicted yesterday at Maidstone Crown Court.

He had pleaded guilty to attempted false imprisonment and possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence at an earlier hearing.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment and will have to serve a minimum term of 18 and half years.

Crown Advocate Anthony Hill said:

"Tomas Uptas killed the girlfriend he wanted no one else to have. He strangled Loreta Raupiene in circumstances where it appeared she was about to leave him, left their bedsit armed with a realistic looking BB handgun, walked into a supermarket and threatened shoppers. Uptas refused to lower his weapon when challenged by armed police officers who attended the scene and he was shot in the arm.

"The murder, sadly, bore many characteristics of domestic violence. There is evidence that the relationship was volatile and deteriorating, the couple were out of work and had financial difficulties. The defendant exhibited jealous, manipulative, abusive and violent behaviour towards Ms Raupiene, the very person he alleged to care so much about. She had sought help from a friend to help find her work in London so she could escape to her home country of Lithuania. In a final, desperate, text message Loreta Raupiene described Tomas Uptas as an animal, not human.

"We were able to rely on statements provided by witnesses which illustrated his propensity for violence and introduced evidence that he had attacked a man from behind with an iron bar outside a nightclub whilst living in Sweden. It seemed he had lied about it in later Court proceedings. Forensic evidence included fibres from the scarf that was used to strangle the victim found on his gun and Uptass DNA was identified on either end of the scarf.

"Tomas Uptas' violent and erratic behaviour affected many people on the evening of the 26th November 2009. Fuelled by drink, anger and the knowledge of what he had just done, he accosted a total stranger outside his home unloading shopping from a car, holding him up with the gun and demanding transport to the local Morrisons supermarket. The man bravely refused to co-operate and grappled with Uptas who gave up and walked to the supermarket, aiming the gun at passersby on the pavement and in their cars as he went. He seemed to have no regard whatsoever who he hurt or how many members of the public he frightened."