Man Guilty Of Burying Lover Alive In Box

Gerard Tubb, North of England correspondent
A man who buried his fiancee alive in a woodland grave and then claimed he only wanted to frighten her has been found guilty of attempted murder at Leeds Crown Court.
Marcin Kasprzak, 26, shot Michelina Lewandowska with a stun gun, tied her up with packing tape and buried her in a cardboard box in woods near Huddersfield in May.
Miss Lewandowska, 27, eventually escaped by using her diamond engagement ring to cut through the tape before kicking her way out of the shallow grave and flagging down a passing motorist.
In a statement read outside court, Miss Lewandowska said she thought she was going to die.
"I prayed to God to help me to survive so that I could look after my young son. The thought of my son gave me the strength to fight my way out of the box and save myself," she said.
"For many years I loved Marcin Kasprzak very much. But after his horrific attack upon me my feelings towards him have turned to hatred.
"I still have nightmares that Marcin will come back to find me and kill me."
Kasprzak told police interviewers he attacked his fiancee after he "flipped out" due to stress brought on by what he claimed was Miss Lewandowska's mistreatment of their son.
During his trial Kasprzak acknowledged the "monstrous" humiliation of his fiancee after the stun gun attack by binding her up before giving her food and helping her to the toilet.
Kasprzak and Patryk Boris, 18, who was present throughout Miss Lewandowska's ordeal, admitted kidnap but denied attempted murder.
During cross-examination, prosecutor Jonathan Sharp dismissed Kasprzak's claim that he had left air holes in the cardboard box because he intended to go back to free Miss Lewandowska.
"You piled soil over the air holes, knowing that anybody left in that state was going to die. You didn't go back, you fell asleep," he told him.
A spokesman for the Crown Prosecution Service said the young mother had shown "immense courage," adding: "This was a heartless and calculated crime, and Michelina was lucky to escape with her life." 
"Not only has Michelina survived an unimaginable ordeal, but she has also been determined throughout to see justice done."
Boris was cleared of attempted murder but both he and Kasprzak will be sentenced on January 13.