Arbroath murder: Bound, gagged, tortured, murdered and dismembered. All for her Pin numbers

A YOUTH is facing a life sentence after he admitted murdering a Lithuanian woman, cutting up her body and dumping the parts in the sea off the Angus coast.

Aleksandras Skirda, 19, pleaded guilty yesterday, and it was announced he would become a key witness against another man, Vitas Plytnykas, 41, who denies involvement in the torture, killing and mutilation of Jolanta Bledaite, 35.

Her head, wrapped in a plastic bag, was found by two children, sisters aged 11 and eight, as they played on a beach at Arbroath on 1 April.

The High Court in Edinburgh was told yesterday that Plytnykas intended to incriminate Skirda, a fellow Lithuanian, at a trial in February.

Ms Bledaite left her homeland five years ago with a promise to her father, Sarunas, 60, who suffers from cancer, that she would return one day with enough money to buy him a house.

After working in Ireland, she moved to the east coast of Scotland and was living in Brechin at the time of her death.

Skirda pleaded guilty to three charges. Through his QC, Mark Stewart, he admitted murdering Ms Bledaite on 29 March in a flat at Earlsdon House, Brechin, where she stayed.

He held her there against her will, bound her legs, hands and arms and put tape across her mouth and nose, while demanding that she reveal the Pin number for bank cards.

She was struck about the head, and assaulted on the body with a knife or knives, and threatened that she would be killed, the court was told. She was held down by the legs and a pillow was placed over her head.

Skirda also admitted that, on the same date at the flat, he severed the hands and head from the body and disposed of them in the sea at Arbroath harbour. The next day, a suitcase containing the body was dumped in the sea, again at Arbroath harbour.

The third charge was of stealing £1,400 by using the bank cards and Pin numbers to make withdrawals at cash machines in Brechin, Montrose, Forfar and Arbroath between 29 March and 3 April.

The judge, Lord Uist, told Skirda through an interpreter that, for the crime of murder, the law required a life sentence to be imposed, and a minimum period in custody to be specified. He said sentence would be deferred until after the trial of his co-accused.

Paul McBride, QC, tendered pleas of not guilty on behalf of Plytnykas and said a special defence of incrimination, blaming Skirda for the crimes, would be lodged.

As well as the charges admitted by Skirda, Plytnykas is accused of removing Ms Bledaite's possessions from her room, of burning personal papers and belongings, of throwing knives into a river and of pretending to a witness that she had moved out of the flat to an unknown address.

Mr McBride indicated that a number of children had been listed as witnesses in the case. He added: "They will not be required to attend the trial."

The advocate-depute, Alex Prentice, QC, confirmed that the Crown intended to call Skirda as a witness – "possibly a very early witness" – at Plytnykas's trial.

It could last up to three weeks, and there might be occasions, with Polish witnesses, when two interpreters would have to be used, one to translate Polish into English and the other to translate the English into Lithuanian for the accused.

Trial was fixed for 2 February at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Ms Bledaite's death shocked the community. After her head was found at Seagate beach, Arbroath, police were alerted and officers searching the shoreline discovered the severed hands the same day. On 5 April, the suitcase was recovered from the harbour by police divers.

A memorial service for Ms Bledaite was held on the beach, and a fund opened in Brechin to help her family raised more than £10,000.