Libby was ‘too cold’ to escape danger
STUDENT Libby Squire would have been too cold to run from danger on the night she was killed, a court heard.
Experts said the 21-year-old’s judgment would also have been impaired by alcohol after a night out.
Pawel Relowicz, 26, is accused of finding her crying in the snow and taking her to a remote playing field to be raped.
Prosecutors say Libby may have been strangled before being dumped “dead or dying” into the River Hull.
Intensive care consultant Professor Charles Deakin yesterday told Sheffield Crown Court that exposure to the freezing conditions on the night she went missing – January 31, 2019 – meant Libby could have had hypothermia.
He said: “She would have limited ability to physically defend herself and she is likely to be so
cold and with her poor coordination, she is likely to be unable to run away at any speed if she needed to get away from any danger.”
Prof Deakin said the University of Hull student had displayed impaired judgment on CCTV footage.
Despite wearing just a minidress, she had lain down in the snow.
By doing so, she accelerated the effects of hypothermia, he added.
Father-of-two Relowicz, of Hull, denies rape and murder.
The meat factory butcher told police he offered to give Libby a lift but dropped her off at the playing fields because she needed to be sick. He will also claim they had consensual sex.
The court heard he has pleaded guilty to voyeurism charges after spying on students in Hull having sex. He also stole sex toys.
The trial continues.