A knifeman has been convicted of murder after fatally stabbing a friend following an argument in Wolverhampton. Sean Bulle had been armed with a concealed hunting knife throughout the day before using it to kill Paulius Petrasiunas in the summer of last year. Police carried out an extensive CCTV trawl to help convict Bulle who had earlier on been seen laughing and joking with 24-year-old Paulius. He fled after knifing Paulius – also known as Polo – in the hallway of a block of flats off Chervil Rise, Heath Town, at around 5.20pm on 13 July. He was quickly identified as the prime suspect by our homicide detectives and we issued his image in an attempt to immediately locate him. He was traced to an address in Shrewsbury within two days and a man bag next to him was found to contain the victim’s blood clearly linking him to the scene.
The creative 21-year-old who was also referred to as Switch – first claimed someone else must have injured Paulius as he’d suffered an epileptic seizure and came across the aftermath. However, detectives secured CCTV showing Bulle’s movements soon after the killing and leaving the scene with what appeared to be the knife hidden in his jogging bottoms. Despite what he’d done he was spotted calmly walking through the area. The weapon was discreetly discarded but we were determined to unearth the crucial piece of evidence to definitively connect Bulle. Police spent several months viewing hundreds of hours of footage and from there earmarked an area of land it could have been dumped. It was found amongst a pile of rubbish between a fence and wall with forensic analysis showing it contained the victim’s blood. As the evidence built up against Bulle – who had already been charged with murder – he later changed his story and said he had been sparring with the victim with knives. He then had a blackout and didn’t remember what happened.
But following a trial at Stoke Crown Court he was today (2 December) convicted of murder. Bulle, of Clover Ley, Heath Town, will be sentenced at a date to be fixed in the new year.
Detective Sergeant Damian Forrest, from our homicide unit, said: “This was the senseless killing of a young man. “Bulle seemed to have become annoyed about a phone call Paulius had taken and then lashed out with the hunting knife. It left Paulius with serious chest injuries and he died within seconds. Sadly the aftermath of this attack was witnessed by the partner of Paulius and his close friends, who all bravely gave evidence at the trial. “Despite what he’d done Bulle was captured calmly walking away and then fled the area.
He was quickly identified as the prime suspect and through intelligence which came in following our appeal to locate him he was arrested within two days of the attack. “He provided different accounts to what he claimed happened but through the diligence of our staff we reviewed a large haul of CCTV and collated strong evidence. “This helped create a clearer picture of what went on and our determination was rewarded when we were able to find the murder weapon. “Bulle has now rightly been convicted of murder and will face many years behind bars.”
