A boy who raped and murdered a 14-year-old girl and then sexually interfered with her dead body has been found guilty.
CCTV footage showed Viktorija Sokolova, who was born in Lithuania, walking through the streets of an English city shortly before she was killed by the 16-year-old.
Viktorija — who had been in contact with the boy through Facebook — was struck at least 21 times with a "hammer-type weapon" during a frenzied attack in West Park, Wolverhampton, in April this year. Three of her teeth had been knocked out.
The teenager, known to her friends as Tori, was killed in a wooden pavilion known locally as the "Black House" and then her body was dragged by the feet 150 yards to the bench where her body was found by a man walking his dog.
Her blood-stained green hoodie and white jeans — seen in the CCTV footage — were dumped in a park bin and her shoes and mobile phone were found by a nearby boating lake.
The defendant faces a mandatory life sentence.
Viktorija Told Police Home Life 'Not That Good'
The trial heard three days before she died Viktorija told police her home life was "not that good."
One of her friends told the court Viktorija never wanted to go home but "she never said why."
"The first time she stayed at my house she told me: ‘I don't really want to go home'. She kept on asking to stay at other people's places," the girl told the court.
Viktorija was interviewed by PC Neil McDonald at a friend's home after she stole her stepfather's bank card and used it to withdraw £250.
Viktorija said she needed the money to buy clothes to replace which her mother had burned.
She also claimed her mother had "beaten her up" after the theft was discovered.
"I was concerned for the welfare of the girl," PC McDonald told the jury.
She was released after five hours in custody and was due to attend an interview with Wolverhampton Youth Offending team on April 26.
But by then she was dead.
Killer Messaged Viktorija on Facebook
The trial heard Viktorija and the defendant had been friends but had drifted apart until he sent her a message on Facebook eight days before the murder.
He told her he was going to London and wanted to meet in the park late on the night of April 11 to discuss her coming with him.
"What are we going to do at West Park?" Viktorija asked him.
#BREAKING A 16-year-old boy has been found guilty of the rape and murder of 14-year-old Viktorija Sokolova in West Park, Wolverhampton. Full story to follow. pic.twitter.com/rmwITfbmuB
— Express & Star (@ExpressandStar) 14 December 2018
"Do you smoke weed? We smoke there and talk," he replied.
No traces of marijuana were found in her blood during the post mortem.
Two of her friends and their relatives had warned Viktorija not to go and meet the defendant.
"This is a case of 'I did not kill her and I don't know who did'. There's no doubt he lied about seeing Viktorija but people lie for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes it's a matter of sheer panic, " his defence barrister, Adam Kane QC, told the jury.
Stepfather's DNA On Her Underwear, Court Told
The trial also heard DNA from Viktorija's stepfather was found on her underwear, which had also been removed by her killer.
Forensic scientist Lorna Fergus said the odds of the DNA belonging to anybody other than Saidas Valentinas were one in a billion.
"These were only trace levels of semen. It could have come from recent or historical sexual activity or innocent transfer. He and Viktorija shared a house as well as a laundry basket and washing machine," Ms. Fergus told the jury.
But she also told the court the defendant's DNA was found on Viktorija's body and the odds of it not being his was also one in a billion.
The 16-year-old defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had refused to give evidence and a judge at Wolverhampton Crown Court warned him the jury may draw "such inferences as appear proper" from his failure to testify.
He has admitted having sex with Viktorija in the park but claimed it was consensual.
"This is as clear a case of murder as you can get. There is no question of Viktorija posing a threat to anybody nor is there a question of self-defence," prosecutor Jonathan Rees QC told the jury during his closing speech.
Viktorija and her family had been living in the Republic of Ireland prior to moving to Whitmore Reans in Wolverhampton.
Detective Inspector Caroline Corfield, who led the police investigation, said Viktorija's stepfather and mother has never been suspects and the boy had always been their main focus.
"There was no clue he could commit this violent act but once we understood what he was capable of, I was not the only person on the inquiry who lost sleep over the possibility of him being acquitted and walking free from court," Det. Insp. Corfield said after the verdict.
