Boxer beat friend to death after night of drinking

A former kickboxer who beat his friend to death with his bare hands after a night of drinking vodka has been convicted of murder.

Arvydas Maliusis violently attacked Ilja Akatjevas, 39, inside a flat in Mill House on College Street, Ipswich, on the night of 22 December.

The 38-year-old left the scene with a woman before returning the following day to find the victim dead. He had suffered fatal head, neck and facial injuries.

Following a trial at Ipswich Crown Court, a jury unanimously found the Lithuanian national - who lived in Recorder Road in Norwich - guilty of murder.

Suffolk Police officers had been called to the scene at 11:37 GMT on 23 December by Maliusis after finding Akatjevas dead inside the property.

Jurors heard how Maliusis told officers he had punched Akatjevas after being attacked by him but stated "there was no way my punches could have killed him".

Maliusis and a 41-year-old woman were arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder before Maliusis was charged. The woman, now 42, was released.

During the trial, Stephen Rose KC, for the defendant, queried if the woman may actually have killed Akatjevas, not Maliusis, having attacked him with a model of Big Ben.

"Did you hit Ilja with that Big Ben statue?" he asked.

The woman answered "No".

The woman had earlier told the jury how they had all been drinking throughout the night before Akatjevas started to act erratically before telling them to leave.

Maliusis and Akatjevas had been play-fighting earlier in the evening, but things had turned more aggressive, during which she herself was pushed over by Akatjevas.

The defendant then retaliated, punching him to the ground before repeatedly punching him in the face for around five minutes before leaving him for dead.

The pair left the scene before returning the next morning so that Maliusis could look for a mobile phone which he had left behind.

Maliusis was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on 6 August.

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