A disabled man murdered in his Glasgow flat 'may have been taken advantage of' before his death.
Tomasz Lipiec, 33, was found dead within a property in Dobbies Loan Place near in the Townhead area of Glasgow at 6.45pm on September 7.
The Polish native, who was wheelchair bound, is understood to have missed a meeting with Glasgow Housing Association reps who alerted the police.
Detectives who made the grim discovery on Monday have launched a murder probe.
Locals believe Tomasz was vulnerable and may have been taken advantage of due to his condition.
The Daily Record spoke with nearby residents and business owners in the close-knit community who said they have been left shocked by Tomasz’s death.
One resident told the Record Tomasz would often be seen in the company of two men and they would be seen drinking together.
They said: “He was always seen out and about here but I didn’t know him personally.
“He was always with two other men. I don’t know if they were using his money or not but they would always drink together and they would use his card a the ATM.”
Local business man Ralph Suleman, 43, who runs the famous ‘Still Game Shope at Alfy’s ToonHeed’ said Tomasz was a regular customer and would often come into his shop with two men.
He said: “I did see the guy, he kept himself to himself but he always had two other guys with him.
“That was his own community, he didn’t speak a lot of English.
“He only had one leg, he was vulnerable.
“These guys were hanging around him all the time and using his card to buy drink.
“They would take his card to the ATM and buy drink with his money.”
The shop owner told how police officers swooped on the area on the night Tomasz' body was found.
He said: "At first it was like seven or eight cars then there were 20 or 22 police motors. There’s still CID there now.
“I think it must be something gruesome, it’s not something straightforward.
“If it had just been a straight forward death there would not be a police presence like that.
“I heard that he had a GHA (Glasgow Housing Association) meeting but didn’t show for it and they had alerted police. That’s obviously how police ended up going to his door.
“So no idea how long he was lying there.
Ralph said the incident was shocking for the usually quiet area.
He added: “There’s never usually anything like this here.
“He seemed decent, I don’t think he was a bad person, my heart goes out to him.
“Someone with any disability, it’s hard to think about. If he was attacked and he can’t move or turn, you hate to think about how he must have died, what was going through his head.
“He was someone’s son, friend, family member.”
Another local business man said Tomasz was a regular presence in the area.
He told the Record: “The guy would come around here. He’s disabled so people see him all the time.
“The area is good, it’s quiet and everyone is in shock.
“I live here at Townhead and I’m shocked as well. I’ve been here one year and there’s never any problems, this is the first major thing.
“I saw lots of police cars. On Monday night they didn’t leave for five to six hours.
“He’s a nice guy, he would never do anything to anyone.
“Everyone was talking about him because he was always very nice.
“We didn’t know him but we knew he was new to the area.
“He was always with two other guys, they would come to the shops together.”
Terrified neighbours on Dobbies Loan Place said they have been kept in the dark about the investigation.
One told the Record: “We’ve not heard anything. I got up about 5am in the morning and saw police vans and then they were there all day and the same yesterday.
“I saw five police coming down with big black bags from the flat.
“There’s been CID coming and going.
“My daughter stays in those flats but we’ve not heard anything.”
Another added: “My auntie lives in the building and wasn’t allowed back in that night so she had to come and stay with us.”
A third said: “I just saw a lot of cops outside when I saw it at first I was like that’s weird but when I looked out late at night about 4am there were a lot of cops, it was really, really scary.”
Police believe Tomasz may have visited the city centre on the evening of September 4 and wish to speak with anyone who may have spotted him.
Detective Inspector Peter Crombie, of the Major Investigation Team, said: "Officers are carrying out extensive enquiries, including speaking to neighbours and checking CCTV to try and establish the circumstances surrounding his death.
“In particular, we are trying to piece together Tomasz’s movements after he was seen by a neighbour on Friday, 4 September. Enquiries suggest he may have visited Glasgow City Centre on that Friday evening and he would be recognisable as he uses a wheelchair to get about.
"Dobbies Loan Place is residential area with numerous flats, so we are keen to hear from anyone who was in the area between Friday 4 and Monday 7 September, 2020, and may have seen something suspicious. Likewise, if anyone has dash-cam footage that may show Tomasz or anything suspicious in the area, please get in touch with us.
"Officers will remain in the area carrying out enquiries and members of the public are encouraged to speak to them should they have any concerns or information.
“Anyone who has not already spoken to officers and believe they may be able to assist can also contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 1307 of 7 September 2020, or make a call anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
