Lithuanian man convicted of murder given concurrent sentence for assault

A 25 year-old Lithuanian man who was convicted of murder and sentenced to life last month has been given a concurrent 18-month prison term for an assault arising from the same incident.

Mantas Pauliukonis, with an address at Park West Crescent, Clondalkin, Dublin, was convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury of murdering Alesandrs Filusins at Oaklands Avenue, Swords and assaulting Sergej Cuksejev causing him harm at Chapel Lane, Swords, on June 3, 2007.

Mr Justice George Birmingham imposed 18 months for the assault and said that while it "paled into insignificance" compared to the murder, it was "in no sense trivial".

The court heard that Pauliukonis stabbed Mr Filusins to death following a row outside a disco. During the row Mr Cuksejev was taken from a car and kicked and beaten on the ground. He suffered injuries to his head and ribs and was out of work for 10 days.

Pauliuknois was at the disco that night with friends and his uncle. As they were leaving in the early hours Mr Cuksejev, who did not know Pauliukonis, got into the defendant's car looking for a lift.

Pauliukonis and his friends removed Mr Cuksejev from the vehicle and attacked him. Mr Filusins intervened to protect Mr Cuksejev and threw a punch which hit Pauliukonis' uncle, knocking out two teeth.

Paulikonis became so incensed that he pulled out a knife. Mr Filusins left the scene but was followed in a car by Pauliukonis and two others

They chased him into the back garden of a house on Oaklands Avenue, Swords. There, Mr Filusins was stabbed a number of times in the legs. He died later in hospital as a result of massive blood loss.

The jury heard that Pauliukonis bragged about the killing to a security man at the disco at Taylor's Public House in Swords shortly after the incident. He had said "at least we got him... we stabbed him up".

A resident at Oaklands Avenue heard men shouting in a foreign language and saw three men leaving his garden. He then found Mr Filusins bleeding heavily at his back door.

The deceased's femoral artery had been severed. He was taken to hospital and operated on later died as a result of massive blood loss.