Neculai Paizan is believed to have attacked Agnes Akom, 20, in a converted container in north-west London, wheeled her body out in a bin and dumped it in a shallow grave. Akom was found buried in a wooded area of Neasden recreation ground, hidden under a pile of branches and logs, a month after she was reported missing on May 11 last year. Her body was wrapped in a black plastic bag with a string tied around her neck. Paizan, 64, claimed that Akom gave him poison in an iced coffee, that he left the container to get some air, and that he returned to find that Akom had been attacked. She said she panicked and told the jury at the Old Bailey: “I tried to get her to the park, put her in a good position.” Paizan, who worked as a concrete mixer driver and was originally from Romania, will be sentenced to life in prison, the mandatory penalty for murder, on Monday. Agnes Akom, also known as Dora. Photo: PA Akom, also known as Dora, originally from Hungary, worked for a coffin maker. DCI Neil John said: “The level of violence Paizan used in his attack on Agnes is truly appalling. What happened in the pot he can’t bear to think about. “While it is not clear why he killed her that day, his efforts to conceal his crime in the hours and days that followed show a calculated effort to ensure that not only was Agnes never found, but that she was never caught.” The two had met 18 months before the murder and the court heard that Paizan had given money to Akom. John said: “Our investigation, and what we know about Agnes, tells us that while she was vulnerable, she clearly lied about her background and personal situation in an attempt to influence the jury. It is possible that he exploited these vulnerabilities to abuse her, ultimately leading to her murder.” Paizan was linked to the murder through phone data, CCTV and blood matching Akom’s DNA found in the container.
