Pawel Klosowski pleads guilty to murdering his son Lukasz Klosowski and Chelsea Ireland

Pawel Klosowski has admitted murdering his son Lukasz Klosowski and Chelsea Ireland in the horrifying double shooting last month – and his early guilty plea will result in a substantial cut to his sentence.

Pawel Klosowski, 46, has pleaded guilty to murdering his son, Lukasz Klosowski, and Lukasz’s girlfriend Chelsea Ireland.

• Lukasz and Chelsea’s alleged murderer unmasked
• Shooting victims farewelled at emotional funeral services

Pawel Klosowski has admitted shooting dead his son and his son’s girlfriend at a family gathering in the state’s South-East.

Klosowski, 46, of Mount McIntyre near Millicent, on Monday afternoon pleaded guilty in the Mount Gambier Magistrates Court to the murder of Lukasz Klosowski and his long-term girlfriend Chelsea Ireland, both 19. It was just his third appearance in court.

Klosowski shot the couple at his rental property at 11.30pm on Saturday August 22, following a family gathering. Two of his three young stepchildren witnessed the incident.

Lukasz was understood to have reconnected with his father in recent years and Chelsea had only met him four times.

Lukasz Klosowski and Chelsea Ireland were shot dead by Lukasz’s father. Picture: Supplied by the Ireland family

Klosowski’s social media posts indicate he was a motorbike and firearms enthusiast.

Klosowski during a family camping trip.

Klosowski appeared before Magistrate Maria Panagiotidis via video link.

Wearing a navy windcheater and glasses, he said “I plead guilty, Your Honour” when asked to answer the charge he murdered his son. He repeated “guilty, Your Honour”, when answering the charge of murdering Chelsea.

Klosowski was remanded in custody to appear in the Supreme Court on November 2 to begin the sentencing process. As he has confessed to murder, he will serve a mandatory life sentence with a non-parole period to be set by a Supreme Court judge.

State law requires that the mandatory minimum non-parole period for a murderer is 20 years, unless special circumstances exist – the law also gives Klosowski a sentencing discount of up to 40 per cent on his non-parole period because of his early guilty pleas.

However, the State Government has said it will move legislation this month to reduce the maximum available sentencing discount for violent offenders to 25 per cent, following a similar proposal by the Opposition earlier this year.

Chelsea has been remembered as a selfless and “kind-hearted volunteer” at the Puddle Jumpers charity, and a strong-willed young woman with a bright future.

Her family last week expressed their disbelief at the tragic fate of their precious daughter and her cheeky boyfriend.

“I just wanted them to tell me that it wasn’t true. I kept begging them to tell me that it wasn’t true,” mum Debra said.

Her sister Maddie said she was the “most selfless, patient, kind person I’ve ever met”.

Lukasz Klosowski and Chelsea Ireland. Picture: Supplied by the Ireland family

At Chelsea’s funeral, her father Greg said she was courageous, caring, generous, kind-hearted, strong, brave and passionate.

“She was all of these and so much more but she was incredibly humble. She had fallen in love with her soulmate. She had so much to live for,” he said.

Lukasz, who was studying journalism at UniSA, was remembered for being a kind man with a glowing smile and long blond hair.

“Beautiful mind, beautiful soul. Two angels. It’s very hard to find any words. There are no words to describe what happened,” one mourner said at his funeral.

“I’ll never forget him – the sense of humour, the kindness.”

Lukasz and Chelsea has travelled overseas together.

Friends and family described them as soulmates.

Klosowski’s identity was initially suppressed after his arrest but the interim secrecy order lapsed several days later.

The Advertiser understands Klosowski married his wife in 2017. He has three stepchildren under the age of 14.

Posts on social media indicate he was a truck driver, Harley-Davidson fan and firearms enthusiast.

When he wasn’t driving trucks, locals said he spent much of his time on the property at Mount McIntyre with his family.

Originally published as Pawel Klosowski pleads guilty to murdering his son Lukasz Klosowski and Chelsea Ireland