A 60-year-old retiree who disappeared more than two years ago was murdered by a man who then took his life savings and renovated his home, a court has heard.

Ibrahim Yosif, 44, is accused of killing Gary Piatek, who disappeared on 18 April 2024 after going drinking in Leicester, before moving his family into the missing man's home.

Leicester Crown Court heard on Wednesday that Yosif and his relatives drained the man's bank accounts "because they were confident that Gary Piatek would never say a thing".

Yosif, of Broad Avenue, Leicester, and Omed Firuzmand, 25, of Ashley Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, both deny murder and preventing a lawful burial.

Six other defendants also face charges relating to Piatek's disappearance.

Opening the Crown's case against the eight defendants, prosecutor Harpreet Sandhu KC told the jury Piatek lived an "unassuming life" at his home in Broad Avenue in the Evington area of the city, where he had lived "almost all of his life".

Sandhu said: "By April of 2024, he had in effect retired and he was paid a pension which was more than adequate to meet his modest lifestyle.

"Gary Piatek would have continued living perfectly happily in that way, save for what happened on the 18th of April of 2024.

"Gary Piatek did what he did ordinarily. He left his home, he travelled by bus towards Leicester and he went to a couple of pubs.

"However, the 18th of April of 2024 was not an ordinary day. That evening, Gary Piatek went missing. He has not been seen since, he has not been heard from."

Sandhu said it was the prosecution's case "that there has been neither sight nor sound of Gary Piatek because he was murdered".

The prosecutor added "within days of his disappearance", Yosif began renovating the house and "completely transformed" it for his family.

Sandhu said: "Within weeks or months, Ibrahim Yosif had moved into [the house in] Broad Avenue with his wife Dilan Rabati.

"He had also moved into Gary Piatek's home with his sister-in-law Dalya Rabati and also moving into that house was Dalya Rabati's then husband, Ahmed Nabla.

"They moved into Gary Piatek's house and together they began to drain Gary Piatek's bank accounts of Gary Piatek's money.

"They also began to drain Gary Piatek's pension fund."

The court heard Yosif, Dalya Rabati and another man, Nazem Kakamando, created a false tenancy agreement for the house "to give the impression" that Yosif was renting it from Piatek.

Sandhu told the court: "These defendants were able to renovate Gary Piatek's home, they were able to live in it and they were able to drain Gary Piatek's bank accounts and pension fund, because they were confident that Gary Piatek would never say a thing about what they were up to.

"That's because after the 18th of April of 2024, he was no longer alive.

"Ibrahim Yosif and Omed Firuzmand were, says the prosecution, responsible for murdering Gary Piatek.

"Following that murder, Mabast Khalid and Diar Muhammedy assisted Ibrahim Yosif and Omed Firuzmand, and they did that by providing Omed Firuzmand with accommodation and by washing items."

Khalid, 22, of Manway Close, Birmingham, and Muhammedy, 35, of Falmouth Road, Leicester, deny assisting an offender.

Yosif, Dilan Rabati, 35, of Broad Avenue, Leicester, Dalya Rabati, 30, and Nabla, 34, of Broad Avenue, Leicester, deny seven counts of fraud.

The court heard these included taking money from Piatek's NatWest account, TSB accounts, his Legal and General pension account, MBNA credit card, NewDay credit card, and Debenhams credit card.

Yosif, Dalya Rabati, of Frazer Nash Close, Isleworth, London, and Kakamando, deny making articles to use in fraud, namely a tenancy agreement.

Kakamando, 51, of Gordon Road, Birmingham, denies a further charge of possessing criminal property, namely £148,750 in cash.

All eight defendants were sitting in the dock to hear the prosecution opening, assisted by two Kurdish Sorani interpreters.

The trial, which is expected to last eight weeks, continues.

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