Dmitry’s life was as tragic as his death, mother tells court
:: Man was bullied for years because of 7ft 5in height
THE mother of a 7ft 5in man who was killed during a drunken fight has said her son was picked on all his life due to his height, and died as tragically as he lived.
Elena Moram wrote a statement to the Central Criminal Court which was read at a sentence hearing for Arnoldas Ivanauskas (33).
He was last month found guilty of the manslaughter of Dmitry Hrynkevich (24).
Ms Moram told the court that Dmitry’s father died when her son was five years old.
She said: “I fought for him like a lion. Against sickness and social difficulties as a result of his unusual height.”
He was diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome, which caused his limbs to become elongated, and despite suffering pain, blindness and other illnesses he “showed courage and kindness”, she said.
He did his best to integrate when he came to Ireland from Belarus as a 10-year-old and became widely liked for his humour and generosity. Aged 18, and knowing that his diagnosis meant he might not live a long life, he volunteered to be an organ donor. When he died, his organs were donated.
Ms Moram added: “To the last day of his life he donated money to charity and performed good deeds that he never boasted about.”
However, her son was, she said, “a freak in the eyes of society because of his height… Life was generally disappointing for him. In many ways his life was as tragic as his death.”
Mr Hrynkevich died in hospital on October 2, 2015, two days after being found at a house at Killeen Woods, Tralee, Co Kerry, with injuries to his head, face and neck.
Lithuanian native Ivanauskas, with an address at The Parklands, Tralee, was charged with murdering Mr Hrynkevich but a jury unanimously acquitted him of that charge and found him guilty of manslaughter.
In Garda interviews, Ivanauskas said a second man, who was not before the court, attacked Mr Hrynkevich and that he “joined in”, punching the deceased at least once on the side of the head.
His barrister Mark Nicholas SC told the court that the jury had found his client guilty of an “assault to manslaughter” meaning that he did not intend to cause serious injury to the deceased, but intended to cause something more than a trivial injury.
The court heard that Mr Hrynkevich previously underwent major surgery to correct a cardiac problem caused by his illness. He had his aorta replaced in a successful operation. Despite this, he was considered to have an increased risk of sudden collapse.
His death was caused by loss of oxygen to the brain, due to a heart attack linked to Marfan Syndrome, a post-mortem concluded. The autopsy found that “blunt force trauma” to the head contributed to his death.
Roisin Lacey SC, for the prosecution, said the offence lies in the medium culpability range and should therefore carry a sentence of between four to ten years. She said the aggravating factors in the case put it at the higher end of that category.
Mr Nicholas said his client had cooperated with gardaí and didn’t try to blame the deceased or “play up” the fact that Mr Hrynkevich had slapped him three times.
The court also heard from Detective Sergeant James Hurley, who said that Ivanauskas had District Court convictions for intoxication in a public place and criminal damage. In Lithuania he has convictions for robbery, theft and damage to property.
Mr Justice Michael McGrath adjourned the hearing until October 23 to allow Ms Lacey to inquire about the details of a further offence committed in Lithuania.