A Spalding man who murdered his best friend with a broken bottle of rum was today (Thursday) jailed for life.
Viktors Zeglovs, 34, admitted murdering Vadims Zmicerevskis, 45, after thrusting the neck of the broken bottle into his friend’s throat.
A judge today sentenced Zeglovs to life imprisonment and told him he will have to serve a minimum of 11 years and 306 days in prison before he is eligible to apply for parole.
Lincoln Crown Court heard much of the fatal attack was caught on CCTV at the junction of Green Lane and St Thomas Road in Spalding shortly after 2pm on November 11, 2024.
The court was told Zeglovs carried out the attack on Mr Zmicerevskis shortly after his friend had tried to separate him from a fight with another man.
Prosecutor John Lloyd-Jones KC said Zeglovs lost his temper and turned his attentions to Mr Zmicerevskis after the third man knocked Zeglovs to the floor and walked off.
Mr Lloyd-Jones said Mr Zmicerevskis remained “passive” as Zeglovs dragged him into the road and struck him with his slider before repeatedly punching him.
“The deceased did not fight back at all,” Mr Lloyd-Jones explained.
The court heard Zeglovs then pushed Mr Zmicerevskis towards a set of railings and grabbed a bottle of rum from his friend’s pocket which he broke before pausing momentarily.
Mr Lloyd-Jones said Zeglovs by this stage had “converted the bottle into a deadly weapon.”
“He jabbed it into the deceased’s neck,” Mr Lloyd-Jones told the court, quickly leading to blood pouring from the wound.
Several members of the public came to the scene and Zeglovs admitted “its my fault” when police arrived. He was arrested and later told of his friend’s death.
“This was a killing in broad daylight in a residential street,” Mr Lloyd-Jones stated.
A postmortem confirmed Mr Zmicerevskis died from a 9cms deep wound to his neck which cut his jugular vein.
Mr Lloyd-Jones said it was accepted that Zeglovs did not set out that day with the intention of killing Mr Zmicerevskis, and could be seen tending to his dying friend on the CCTV.
An impact statement from the sister of Mr Zmicerevskis was read out in court.
“He would never hurt anyone,” she insisted.
The court heard at the time of the murder, both men, from Latvia, were living at an address in Cross Street, Spalding.
CCTV showed the pair “appearing to be laughing” before Zeglovs became involved in the fight with the other man.
Gordon Aspden KC, mitigating, said: “It is accepted this was a needless and senseless act which led to the loss of a precious life.”
Mr Aspden told the court a witness to the attack described Zeglovs taking off his shirt to place on the wound and then screaming for help for his friend.
A police officer also remembered Zeglovs repeatedly asking: “Is he going to die?”
“Mr Zeglovs understands he is responsible for killing the best friend he is ever going to have, who an independent witness described as like a brother, and who on that day tried to protect him from an assault,” Mr Aspden said.
Mr Aspden argued Zeglovs’ assessment of risk was also impacted by his intoxication on the day and his alcohol related mental health problems.
“This was one blow and he stopped,” Mr Aspden added.
“There are not many murderers who plead guilty.”
Passing a life sentence on Zeglovs, Judge Catarina Sjolin Knife, told him: “On November 11, 2024 you murdered your friend.”
Judge Sjolin Knight said although the murder was not planned she was satisfied Zeglovs had become annoyed by Mr Zmicerevskis and intended to kill him.
“Your actions with the bottle were deliberate, you can not but have intended to kill Mr Zmicerevskis when you grabbed the bottle and broke it,” Judge Sjolin Knight told Zeglovs.
Zeglovs, from Latvia, followed the hearing via a Russian interpreter, and is likely to face deportation at the end of his sentence.
The officer leading the investigation, T/Detective Chief Inspector Andrew McWatt of the Lincolnshire Major Crime Unit said: “First and foremost, I would like to convey sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr Zmicerevskis, this was an incredibly tragic case, and our thoughts remain with those affected by this incident.
“I hope this sentence brings some closure to the family. This was a horrific incident that unfolded on a busy street in broad daylight, which would have been very upsetting for the witnesses who came forward. I would like to thank them too as their evidence assisted in securing this conviction.”
