Dagenham man jailed for 12 years for punching to death Marius Lakavicius
Airidas Janavicius, of Dagenham, has been jailed for 12 years after punching to death a colleague - Credit: Met Police
A Dagenham man who killed his colleague after punching him many times in the head has been jailed for 12 years.
Airidas Janavicius, 38, of Burdetts Road, assaulted 44-year-old father-of-two Marius Lakavicius after the pair had been drinking together in July last year.
Emergency services were called after Marius was found with injuries on Goresbrook Road, Dagenham, just before midnight on July 23.
Officers and paramedics attended but sadly he was pronounced dead at the scene.
A post-mortem examination carried out in the following days gave a cause of death as head injuries.
Janavicius initially lied to police about what had taken place, concocting a story about the pair being attacked by a group of six to eight men, Scotland Yard said.
He told officers the two friends had fended off the group, only for Marius to fall ill later on that evening.
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However after police officers scoured hours of CCTV and detailed forensic examinations, Janavicius was linked to the crime.
He was arrested later that evening for murder and perverting the course of justice and charged with both crimes the following day.
He denied murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter and perverting the course of justice at Snaresbrook Crown Court on April 26, and was sentenced to 12 years at the same court on May 5.
Det Serg Brett Hagen, leading the investigation, said: "This sequence of events resulted in the tragic and needless death of Marius Lakavicius.
"A thorough and detailed investigation implicated Janavicius in this crime, despite his initial lies to police that both he and Marius were attacked by a group of youths.
“This drunken attack on his ‘friend’ and work colleague has left a wife without her husband and two young boys without their devoted father.
"No sentence of imprisonment can bring Marius back and I would like to thank his family for their dignity throughout this harrowing period of their lives.”
