Man arrested over woman's death appears at inquest

A man who was previously arrested on suspicion of murdering a woman he lived with told an inquest he "was in a state of shock" when he saw her and the fire at his property.

Izabela Chalastra, 46, died in hospital six days after a bungalow fire in Forster Street, Nottingham, on 1 March 2024.

An inquest into her death heard Zbigniew Lewandowski - who was subject to a domestic violence protection order at the time - was arrested in connection with the fire, and later detained on suspicion of murder, but no charges have been brought.

The hearing at Nottingham Coroner's Court on Wednesday was also told an investigation into the fire could not narrow down the cause of the blaze.

Lewandowski told the inquest via a Polish interpreter that he had met Chalastra through a friend but denied he was in a relationship with her.

He said she wanted to stay at his property which he was renting from Nottingham City Council and that he allowed it, but that "it was not a permanent arrangement".

"She was supposed to leave me and my address," he added, adding Chalastra was "badmouthing me to the police".

The inquest was told Chalastra had reported to the police that she had been raped on 25 February, and threatened with a knife on 28 February 2024 by Lewandowski.

On both occasions, she declined to support police further, the hearing was told.

Lewandowski had been taken into custody for breaching a domestic violence protection order, and appeared before magistrates on 1 March, the inquest heard.

He told the inquest that on the day of his release from court, he was contacted by Chalastra, who told him she had no money and asked him to lend her some.

Lewandowski said he went to the Universal Credit office.

He said he was aware of the terms of the order, which included not to harass Chalastra or enter the property at Forster Street, and insisted "I was the owner of that flat" and "she called me and told me 'why are you not coming?'"

Lewandowski said he went to the property between 16:00 and 17:00 GMT and Chalastra, who was at the gate, handed him a bank card, an electricity card, and his clothes - which he changed into - outside.

"[Chalastra] wanted me to come inside but I refused," he told coroner Neena Sharma. "She had everything prepared for me in a plastic bag."

He then said he went to a shop to buy food for Chalastra and when he returned to the address, the house was on fire.

"I was under a lot of stress because the flat was on fire," he added. "I was in a state of shock."

The coroner asked Lewandowski why he went to the property, as he was subject to a court order, to which he replied: "[Chalastra] was begging me to get her some food because she had nothing."

He described seeing the house on fire, and Chalastra outside in the garden "covered in burns all over".

Lewandowski said he asked her what had happened but that she did not reply, and just nodded.

He said he stayed with her until the ambulance came and took her away, before going to a bus stop.

Lewandowski said he intended to go to Sneinton, where his tent and sleeping bag were, before he was arrested.

He said he found out on 20 March Chalastra had died while he was on conditional discharge.

The coroner warned Lewandowski he would not need to answer if he thought the following question was going to incriminate him, and asked: "Did you have anything to do with the fire?" to which he replied "no".

Izabela's sister, Krystyna Chalastra - who was present at the hearing - asked Lewandowski: "Why have you taken my sister away from me?"

He responded: "I didn't love her. I liked her."

Krystyna said he had previously told her that he had "had enough" of her sister and that he would kill her.

Lewandowski accused her of "making things up because you are nervous".

But Krystyna said, "I'm not nervous". She then told the coroner it was difficult for her to think of appropriate questions to ask Lewandowski because she was "flooded with sorrow".

Det Insp Craig Hall, of Nottinghamshire Police, told the inquest there were a "number of inconsistencies" in Lewandowski's evidence.

He said there was no evidence that he had a mobile phone with him on the day of his release, or that Chalastra had phoned him. Hall also confirmed he was under a domestic violence order.

A CCTV trawl on 1 March showed Lewandowski's journey from the court to Forster Street, as he walked along the Nottingham Canal and Lenton Boulevard.

The property in Forster Street is located on a row of small bungalows, Hall added, with a camera from one of the houses showing him at the address at 16:37 and 41 seconds.

About four minutes later, he was seen walking away from the address back to Lenton Boulevard, and was not carrying a bag, Hall added.

The blaze was first discovered by a witness who was leaving a bookmakers shop nearby at 16:57. Hall said the timing was also supported by the CCTV at the scene.

The detective said when Lewandowski left the address, he went to a shop to buy a cigarette lighter and two cans of beer, and that he did not buy any food.

Hall then told the inquest one of the witnesses at the scene said Lewandowski "completely ignore[d]" Chalastra, walked past her, and then back to the shop he had been to previously, when he was arrested on suspicion of arson.

The inquest was told that while he was being detained, Lewandowski said "my home, my home", "it's burning" and "I have seen the burns she has had".

Hall said they had found two bank cards in his possession - one of his and the other of Chalastra's - and a mobile phone.

Hall said there were two key witnesses in this investigation.

The first one - a woman - said she could see Chalastra "was on fire" as she walked away from the address, the detective told the inquest.

She then sat on a chair in the garden as she was "still on fire", and says "cigarette".

Hall said a second witness carried Chalastra away from the fire, and a neighbour brought a wet towel to help her.

Hall told the inquest the investigation took five to six months, and involved a number of experts, dog searches at the property, and five interviews with Lewandowski in which he said "no comment".

"I came to the decision that there was insufficient evidence for a prosecution," he added.

Jim Dykes, of Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue, also attended the hearing, and said it was difficult to identify the cause due to the severity of the blaze.

There were a number of potential causes for the fire, he added. He said a gas stove and candle were found at the property, as well as cigarettes and an electric heater.

Chalastra's death also prompted an independent domestic homicide review led by Carol Ellwood-Clarke.

On Thursday, she told the inquest the aim of the review was to identify learning, which would then be applied at a national level.

Ellwood-Clarke told the inquest that Chalastra had been a victim of domestic abuse, and Lewandowski was the perpetrator. This included sexual assaults and coercive control.

She referred to an incident reported by Chalastra to the police in February 2023, in which she said Lewandowski threatened to kill her, and he was subsequently arrested.

Despite meeting the criteria for domestic abuse, police did not record it as such at the time, Ellwood-Clarke said.

She added she felt that processes were in place, however, Chalastra's "vulnerabilities were seen in isolation".

The report - which is to be sent to the Home Office - is expected to be published at the end of the year.

The inquest continues and is due to finish on Friday.

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