Solihull man jailed after killing partner at Smith's Wood home

A man has been jailed after admitting killing his partner in Solihull.   Rafal Duszyca, aged 37, was found unconscious at his home in Chelmar Close, Smiths Wood, in the late hours of the 1st July 2022. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Slawomir Tumilowicz was arrested from the address initially on suspicion of assault which was later changed to murder. Tumilowicz told officers that on the 30th June they had been arguing that led to a fight. The 37-year-old said he had no intention of seriously hurting Rafal and that he was trying to stop Rafal from seriously hurting him.   A post mortem examination concluded that Rafal died from applied neck pressure and coronary artery disease. At Birmingham Crown Court Tumilowicz pleaded guilty to manslaughter and on Thursday (March 28) was sentenced to nine years in prison.

West Midlands Police statement  

Detective Chief Inspector Hannah Whitehouse from the force's Homicide Team, said: “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Rafal and I hope this sentence brings them some closure at this difficult time.   “No one should ever be a victim of domestic abuse. We work closely with local domestic support organisations, local authorities, safeguarding teams and charities to ensure that services and ongoing support are available.   “We have a number of specialist departments within the police to investigate these crimes but it’s important that we all work together to prevent these crimes occurring in the first place by raising awareness.”