How new life in Kettering turned to tragic death for ‘exceptional’ Marta

In March 2021, Pawel Chmielecki posted a photo of his ex-wife Marta with the words ‘This smile will stay with me forever’.

Just months after the post on Facebook, Chmielecki had stabbed 31-year-old Marta to death in his Kettering house.

She had broken away from a relationship of domestic abuse and was starting to enjoy life again, meeting new people away from him.

But Chmielecki could not accept this and, at his hands, Marta’s promising future was extinguished.

Today at Northampton Crown Court, Chmielecki was sentenced to life imprisonment for his ex-wife’s brutal murder.

Marta Chmielecka grew up in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz, she had moved to England in 2017 from Poland with her BMW-loving husband after their marriage on July 29, 2016.

They enjoyed their new home with trips out, going for walks and visits to cafes and bars.

The couple settled in Kettering, close to Marta’s brother, his wife and their family. After she and Chmielecki separated in 2020, Marta stayed in the town where she had built a life for herself.

With a wide circle of friends both in the UK and in Poland, Marta was sociable, liked music, dressing smartly, going to the gym to keep fit and enjoyed looking after herself.

She loved spending time with friends, going to the beach and visiting family.

Proud of his macho image, Chmielecki portrayed himself as a lover of flash cars, women and boxing.

Behind the smiles on social media, Marta was enduring the grinding fear of domestic abuse and Chmielecki’s controlling behaviour.

Finding the strength to leave her husband, Marta rebuilt her life – coming out of her shell once more.

Five days before she was stabbed to death she posted a life-affirming photo with the caption in Polish – ‘One of the worst mistakes a person can make is wasting years of life waiting for another person to change or develop’.

In October 2021, the 31-year-old’s mother was visiting her from Poland, and she was excitedly planning a festive trip home to see her father.

Tragically that trip never happened, because after meeting her in the street on October 15, Chmielecki violently murdered Marta in his rented room.

Following Chmielecki’s sentencing today, her grieving family released a tribute to her via Northamptonshire Police.

They said: “Marta was exceptional. She was full of life, kind, cheerful, helpful and smart. You never had to ask for her help, she was always just there for us, whatever we needed.

“She loved our children and was a fantastic aunty to them both. Marta was definitely a daddy’s girl too, they had such a strong bond and loving relationship.

“After her death, her father began stuttering and now finds it very hard to communicate. He has really suffered, we all have.

“Marta had so many plans and dreams. She was independent and confident. We all loved her so much.

“It is never going to be the same without her. Losing Marta has changed our whole lives.

“He has taken Marta away from so many people who loved her. She loved our children and he took her away from them, from them having a relationship with her.

“He deprived them of their aunty. He deprived us of our sister. He deprived our parents of their child.

“Our elder daughter knows Marta is with the angels, but our youngest doesn’t remember her because she was only one when she died.

“We were a really close family – we don’t have any other family here, we only had Marta. So we would mark every celebration together – Christmas, birthdays, everything.

“Things are just completely different now. It’s hard to describe.

“When Marta died, something beyond her died as well and none of us will ever be the same.”