Lithuanian jailed for stabbing best friend

"I didn't mean to kill this man. He was my friend. Sorry to his family, all friends," he said when arrested.

Detective Sergeant Kieran Holohan told prosecuting counsel, Mr Remy Farrell BL, the victim died while undergoing surgery in Beaumont Hospital shortly after the stabbing.

Det. Sgt Holohan told Mr Farrell the fatal stabbing happened on the occasion of a 25th birthday party in the Santry house for Suslavicivs' sister and followed an argument between the men.

Suslavicivs said: "I kill this man my friend. We had a good relationship" when arrested some hours later at a house at The Green, Beaumont Woods, Beaumont but struggled to recall what actually happened due to the amount of drink that had been consumed.

He told gardaí he had drank "five beers and ten whiskies" and there had been an argument before the stabbing but he. "He was a good friend. It was a good relationship but too much drink," he said.

Det. Sgt Holohan said the victim's mother was working in England at the time and both of them had gone abroad to send money home to Lithuania to pay for his younger brother to go to university.

The victim's body arrived home on the day his brother was due to go for an interview at the university and he had not been able to accept the interview as a result.

Det. Sgt Holohan said Suslavicivs had no previous convictions in Lithuania but had one here for an assault he and a fellow-national carried out one day after their arrival in Ireland on a man at Kilmore Road, Artane on November 30, 2004, after they all had consumed a lot of drink.

A three-year suspended sentence on Suslavicivs for the 2004 assault offence was activated last January by Judge Katherine Delahunt as a result of him committing the manslaughter during the suspension period.

Det. Sgt Holohan agreed with defence counsel, Ms Aideen Donnelly SC (with Mr Lorcan Staines BL) that Suslavicivs said everything had calmed down after the argument but said the victim then grabbed him and this led to the stabbing which hadn't been fully witnessed by anyone else present.

Det. Sgt Holohan also agreed with Ms Donnelly that Suslavicivs pleaded guilty though there would have been difficulties getting people back from Lithuania for a trial.

There was a nurse involved in the case who is now in Australia and a video-link would have been required for her evidence. "It would have been a substantial trial," Det Sgt Holohan agreed with Ms Donnelly.

Suslavicivs' sister told Ms Donnelly their family had been devastated for the victim's family and themselves by what happened.

Ms Donnelly said she had been instructed to tell the victim's family that Suslavicivs was extremely remorseful and she submitted that nothing said in court was intended to suggest his friend was at fault. "The evidence showed it was an incident that had blown out of all proportions into a very confused situation."

Ms Donnelly noted there was no prolonged fight as indicated by the single stabbing and there never was any suggestion of a murder charge.

She said Suslavicivs had no recollection even at this stage of the fatal act for which he had to bear responsibility. He didn't even know what part of the house it happened in or how many times he stabbed his friend but accepted he had done so and had expressed his sorrow from the outset.

"He cannot explain what happened and regrets it but he cannot put the clock back. He is and was a young man when all this happened. He killed his friend and has to live with that."

Ms Donnelly said his guilty plea was "a particularly valuable one" to the prosecution and to the victim's family as well by sparing them having to sit through a trial.

A clinical psychologist who examined him had reported that the aggression might be due to the effects of a head injury he suffered some time ago which is then exacerbated by alcohol.

Ms Donnelly said he had been assaulted in prison where he was in protective custody for his own safety.