Mother of murdered student Libby Squire is to meet her daughter’s killer in prision
Philosophy student Libby disappeared after being turned away from a nightclub
Izzy SchifanoThe mother of murdered student Libby Squire is to meet her daughter’s killer in prison.
In February 2021, Pawel Relowicz was sentenced to at least 27 years in prison for the rape and murder of Libby Squire.
A philosophy student at Hull, Libby disappeared after being turned away from a nightclub on 31st January 2019, and her body was found six weeks later by a fishing boat in the Humber estuary. She was 21 years old.
Relowicz was found guilty of raping Squire after coming across her on the freezing streets of Hull, and then murdering her and dumping her body in a river. He was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 27 years.
Libby Squire (via SWNS)
Sentencing Relowicz, the Honourable Mrs Justice Lambert said: “She had no way of protecting herself from you, either physically or mentally.”
Reading out a statement in court before the sentencing, Libby’s mum Lisa said the verdict did not offer closure. “Thought physically not here, Libby will always be with me,” she said. “What can never be taken away from me is the love we share.”
Speaking to the BBC, Lisa Squire said: “There is a whole load of questions that go through my mind on a daily basis but the biggest one is how did she die?”
Because of the amount of time her body was in the water before being found, pathologists were unable to determine a cause of death.
Libby’s mum Lisa, who is a neo-natal nurse from Buckinghamshire, said she is looking for answers: “For me, it’s more about being in the same space as the last person who was with my daughter.
“I know most of her friends and she was always in contact with me so I know what she was doing in the morning, the afternoon and the evening. I do not know what happened on that last day of her life.”
She insisted she does not hate Relowicz: “I don’t actually have any feelings towards him. I don’t hate him because it’s not going to get me anywhere and, for me, anger is very destructible. It’s very draining and the more time I spend being angry with him the less time I can spend thinking about Libby, looking after my other children and doing family things.”
The meeting is being arranged through a restorative justice charity. A date is yet to be decided.
Lisa said: “I am really grateful that he has agreed. It must be quite daunting to meet a victim’s mother.”
Related stories:
• A man has been arrested for the murder of Hull student Libby Squire
• Pawel Relowicz sentenced to life for the rape and murder of student Libby Squire
• Hundreds of students organise search party to find missing Hull Uni student Libby Squire