‘Battered to death by debt stricken businessman’

A businessman bludgeoning a Russian woman to death to try and pay off his £120,000 debt, a court heard.

Armen Aristakesyan, 42, allegedly murdered Serafima Mashaka, 58, after learning she kept a ‘significant quantity of cash’ in her west London apartment.

Ms Mashaka, known to her friends as ‘Sima’, suffered multiple head injuries and was found dead in her shower

Armenian Aristakesyan had met Ms Mashaka through his girlfriend Kseniya and the pair had become very close, jurors heard.

Ms Mashaka worked as a ‘guide and guardian’ for Russian child students in the UK and also worked part-time as a PA to a Russian/Israeli businessman.

Alexandra Healey prosecuting, told the Old Bailey how the victim was murdered in her home in Haven Green Court, Ealing on 17 September 2019.

‘She had been hit multiple times to the head with a blunt instrument.

‘She was discovered the following day lying face down in her bathroom in a pool of dried blood.

‘The last person to see her alive was the defendant, Armen Aristakesyan.

‘At the time of Ms Mashaka’s death, the defendant was in a dire financial position.

‘He had borrowed money off anyone and everyone and was being pursued by all of his creditors.

‘Most significantly he owed over £100,000 to someone referred to as ‘The Turk’, which he had postponed repaying until September 10, 2019.

‘By September 2019 the debt, with interest, was over £120,000,’ said Ms Healey.

‘He had come to learn that Sima kept a significant quantity of cash in her apartment.

‘In as early as April 2019 he had begun to plot how he might get his hands on her cash.’

Following Mr Aristakesyan’s arrest, in October 2019, a number of recorded phone calls from April 2019 were recovered from his mobile phone.

In the recordings Mr Aristakesyan can be heard discussing his plan to burgle Ms Mashaka’s apartment while arranging for her to be out at the opera.

Ms Healey said: ‘The defendant was in contact with three men in relation to repaying this debt: Artem Minibayev, Neil Mahamdi and Sofiane Mahamdi.

‘Mr Aristakesyan agreed to meet Artem Minibayev and Neil Mahamdi on the evening on 17 September with the money he owed.

‘The only prospect he had of being able to hand over any money was if he was to steal it from Sima.

‘He initially attended Sima’s address at 5pm on 17 September. However she was not alone – she had a workman carrying out work on her flooring.

‘He therefore pushed his meeting with Minibayev and Mahamdi back to later in the evening and panned to return later that night when she was alone.

‘He returned to the address at around 8.30pm.

‘Sima is not here to explain what happened when he visited her that second time.

‘Whether the defendant killed Sima before stealing her money or whether she caught him stealing her money and then he killed her may never be known.

‘What is clear, however, is that he killed her and he left her flat with a substantial quantity of cash.

‘Sima’s body was discovered the following day.

‘When she had not answered the door to the builders, nor answered calls to her phone, the alarm was raised.

‘A locksmith was called to gain access to her flat.

‘Her body was discovered lying face down in the shower. She had been struck a number of times to the head.

‘The impact of one of those blows to the back of her head was so severe it had fractured the base of her skull.’

Aristakesyan, of Uxbridge Road, West Ealing, later told police he spent the night of 17 September with his girlfriend.

He denies murder and the trial continues.