A MAN has been charged with the murder of a "lovely" mum found dead at her home as a little girl screamed nearby.

Rafal Winiarski, 39, is accused of killing Małgorzata Lechańska in the sleepy village of Shipdham, Norfolk, on Sunday.

Horrified neighbours heard a five-year-old girl screaming at the time and found her hiding behind a 70ft oak tree.

A local took the girl inside and armed police were scrambled to the scene.

They discovered Małgorzata, a mum-of-two in her 30s, dead inside the three-bedroom home.

A post mortem showed Małgorzata died from a severe head injury and her family have been informed.

Winiarski was arrested after the horror and tonight charged on suspicion of murder.

He will appear at Norwich Magistrates' Court tomorrow morning.

Małgorzata has been described as “absolutely lovely” by neighbours who say she was devoted to her children.

Alice Wool, 19, who lives opposite with her four-month-old daughter, said: “She was an absolutely lovely lady. What has happened is just horrific. I literally can’t believe it.

“She always smiled and waved at me when she used to go out shopping.

“I was out when it happened, but a neighbour told me that there were screams and the little girl ran out of the house and hid behind a tree.

“Then a neighbour came out and took her in before the police arrived. It must have been awful for her and I can’t stop thinking about it.”

Alice said the woman would often share treats with other children in the close-knit neighbourhood.

'LOVELY LADY'

She also explained how she was regularly seen tending to her beloved garden.

Another neighbour Jamie Douglas, 19, said: “I was sat inside and my girlfriend said she had sen an ambulance. Then it just went mad.

“There were seven police cars, five armed response vehicles, a dog unit and a couple of ambulances, as well as an air ambulance helicopter landing at the back. I heard that she was dead at the scene."

She was a lovely lady who would always smile and put up her hand to wave hello.

Local residents have since paid tribute to Malgorzata, launching an appeal to build a memorial bench in her memory on the community green next to her home in Shipdham.

The gofundme appeal says: “The community would like to place a memorial bench, next too the fruit trees already planted by the lovely lady who has sadly been taken too soon.

“The lady loved her garden and flowers, we would also like to build a small fence to protect the fruit trees and flowers that she has planted on the Communal area."

A local carpenter who asked not to be named, added: “I am going to build the bench. We also want to put up a little picket fence to protect the flowers she planted on the green.

“She was a lovely lady who would always smile and put up her hand to wave hello. She always seemed really nice.

“She loved her gardening and she always tried to keep the communal green looking nice. It was all overgrown, and I used to see her raking it over to tidy it up.”

Detective Inspector Lewis Craske said: "We are looking for information from anyone who may have known Malgorzata or can help us with information around the circumstances leading up to her death.”

Anyone with information should contact DI Lewis Craske at Norfolk Constabulary on 101 quoting crime reference 36/55532/21.

They can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Source: Read Full Article