FACTORY worker Tomas Acas has been found guilty of the murder of his Wisbech neighbour. The verdict came this afternoon after a jury at Cambridge Crown had spent nearly two days considering their verdict.

The judge, His Honour Antony Bate, told the 26 year-old Lithuanian, who had refused to go into the witness box during the trial, he would sentence him later this month.

“The sentence for the crime you stand convicted of is fixed by law and that is life imprisonment,” the judge told him.

“But I am required to fix a minimum term you must serve before the parole board can contemplate whether you could be safely released

“That decision will be fixed by the evidence and the submission from counsel.

“It is open to you to tell us more of what happened on that fateful night or can you remain silent and I will respect that . “Only you know exactly what happened and you are the only survivor of that fateful encounter.”

The jury had been told how Acas had stamped his neighbour to death then returned to the scene of the crime two days later to move her body and “tidy up”.

Lithuanian Jolanta Dumciuviene, 38, was killed in her room at a shared house in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, and not found by friends for three days, prosecutor David Matthew had told the jury.

Acas, 26, who lived next door to Mrs Dumciuviene in Milner Road, had denied murdering her.

Mr Matthew said Mrs Dumciuviene - who moved to England in 2007 - died as a result of “severe trauma to the chest” after suffering rib fractures, “damage to her throat” and internal bleeding.

A pathologist said the cause of such injuries could have been “someone stamping on her”, jurors were told.

Mr Matthew said evidence suggested that Acas - who worked with Mrs Dumciuviene at the Del Monte canning factory in Wisbech - had murdered her on May 4, 2009, then tried to hide her body under a bed on May 6.

Mrs Dumciuviene, whose husband and children live in Lithuania, was found on May 7 after friends became concerned about her disappearance.

Mrs Dumciuviene disappeared on May 4 after a barbecue at Acas’ home, jurors were told.

A witness had seen blood on the bottom of Acas’ trousers and Acas’ blood and a fingerprint were found in Mrs Dumciuviene’s room, said Mr Matthew.

Acas had also tried to use Mrs Dumciuviene’s cash machine card and had given police different “stories” about his whereabouts, he added.

Mr Matthew said evidence pointed to a timetable of events.

“It seems pretty clear she died on the evening of the 4th of May, Tuesday,” said Mr Matthew. “The tidying up?The obvious time was Thursday morning.”

He said Acas’ blood was found on Mrs Dumciuviene’s bed.

“Maybe a nick or cut ... when moving the body,” added Mr Matthew. “Let’s see if Tomas Acas wants to go into the witness box and tell us how blood got there?”