Sheffield Crown Court: Devastated mum is "satisfied" after her son's killer is found guilty of murder

Sheffield Crown Court has heard during a trial how Polish man Mateusz Chojnowski, aged 28, of Doncaster, was found seriously injured after a violent and sustained attack earlier this year which left his family “devastated”. He was found on South Parade, in Doncaster city centre, in the early hours of Saturday, July 2 but despite the best efforts of officers and paramedics, Mr Chojnowski was pronounced dead in hospital a short time later.

A jury found defendant Steven Ling, aged 38, of Park Drain, Westwoodside, guilty of Mateusz’s murder after a trial which started on November 29.

Mateusz’s mother, Bozena, said after the verdict was returned: “As the mother of Mateusz Chojnowski, I am satisfied that today, justice has been served. This has been a traumatic time for our family, and despite our grief we are pleased with the outcome at court.

“We are devastated from the death of my son. He was a great source of support to all our family, and he can never be replaced. As a mother, I don’t think I will ever recover from this loss.

“We would now like to ask for privacy at this difficult time.”

The court heard Mateusz was found by two members of the public just after 4am, on July 2, lying on a grass verge, covered in blood.

When police arrived at the scene, they found Mr Chojnowski with serious injuries. Officers began CPR while they awaited an ambulance. Mateusz was taken to hospital, but was sadly pronounced dead a short time later.

A post-mortem examination revealed he died as a result of injuries to his head, chest and abdomen. His injuries were so severe, a fingerprint scanner was required to identify him.

Detective Chief Inspector Rebecca Hodgman, senior investigating officer, said: “The attack on Mateusz, which was captured on CCTV, showed a violent and sustained assault by a single attacker, lasting around 20 minutes.

“Later that day, at around 2.45pm, our control room received a call from Steven Ling’s solicitor. He said Ling had been involved in a serious incident in Doncaster, and that he wished to hand himself in.

“Ling attended Doncaster Police Station at 5pm that day, and was arrested on suspicion of murder.”

The court heard Ling had swelling and cuts to both hands. He made only brief comments in three police interviews, instead providing prepared statements.

DCI Hodgman continued: “In his statements Ling accepted he had been in what he described as an ‘altercation’ with Mateusz that night, after finding him in his car. But he denied murder, saying he had ‘no intention of causing serious harm to anyone’.

“Ling claimed he returned to his car to get his house key, and found Mateusz inside. He said he ‘challenged’ Mateusz and a fight ensued. Ling claimed he panicked and left the scene, making arrangements to hand himself in after learning a man had been found dead.”

Following today’s verdict, Ling was remanded into custody to be sentenced on Tuesday, December 20.

DCI Hodgman added: “I would first like to offer my sincere condolences to Mateusz’s family as I know these proceedings will have been extremely distressing for them. I hope today’s verdict offers them some comfort as they rebuild their lives following the loss of Mateusz.

“Throughout his trial, Ling has claimed that he did not intend to kill Mateusz that day. I am pleased that the jury has seen through that lie and found him guilty of Mateusz’s murder.

“I also want to recognise the dedication of the many officers who have worked tirelessly on this case, to ensure Mateusz’s killer has been brought to justice.”