A JURY took just two hours and 40 minutes to find Michael Wenham guilty of murdering a prostitute Karolina Nowikiewicz at a flat in Lowestoft Drive, Haymill, in February last year.

They delivered a unanimous verdict at Reading Crown Court today. Wenham will be sentenced on Friday morning.

A spokesperson for Karolina’s family said: “The tragedy that happened to Karolina on 17 February last year will always remain in our memory. It shocked everyone. With particular cruelty, it touched her parents, her family and also her friends.

“Every day we question ourselves why a young, full of life, optimistic women was killed in such a cruel and terrible way. After the shocking event, the life of Karolina’s parents changed dramatically, as she was their only child. To this day they can’t forget the day when the police knocked on their door and informed them that their only child had been brutally killed. This broke their hearts and made their lives lose sense. Their health condition and mental state have got steadily worse. Even to this day they can’t accept what has happened to Karolina.... and they probably never will.

Due to their age and the pain that they have been living with every day, they couldn’t come to the UK for the trial as it would hurt them even more. This tragedy should never have taken place. Karolina should be alive. She had the right to live, however someone, Michael Wenham, took that choice away from her. Her death has brought great sorrow to her family.

“Regarding what happened to Karolina, there is absolutely no explanation. Where there is a crime there must be a punishment. Karolina wanted to live, yet she will never get a chance to.” A statement released by Det Chief Insp Ailsa Kent read: “A young woman has tragically lost her life at the hands of Wenham, who murdered her for reasons which we may never know. This was a premeditated and clinically executed murder of a young woman, who was targeted by Wenham because her job made her vulnerable. Karolina, who was born in Poland and had moved to England about two years before her death in order to study, was working as a prostitute to fund her studies. It seems she was chosen at random by Wenham who had planned to kill.

“Nothing will ever bring Karolina back but at least this verdict today means that Wenham will be held responsible for his actions and I hope that the conviction will help them to feel that justice has been done.”