The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
KillEr stABBED pArtygoEr six timEs in strEEt
A Peterborough man is facing a life sentence after being found guilty of murdering a fellow party goer in the city.
Bradley Plavecz (20) of Arkwright Way, Gunthorpe, had admitted stabbing Daniel Szalasny at the party in the early hours of May 8 last year, but denied murder.
But after a week-long trial at Peterborough Crown Court, he was found guilty by a jury.
The court had heard how Plavecz suffers from ADHD, and it had been argued by his legal team that the disorder meant he had been unable to exercise self control, meaning a manslaughter verdict would have been open to the jury.
However, the prosecution said this was not the case, and the ADHD did not substantially affect his ability to exercise self control.
The 11 jurors – one juror was forced to drop out of the case part way through the trial – returned their guilty verdict on Tuesday afternoon.
The court had heard how Plavecz and Mr Szalasny had never met before the party in Crown Street – but the pair had argued on the night.
CCTV footage captured the stabbing, and the moments leading up to the fatal incident. A few seconds before he was killed, Mr Szalasny had punched Plavecz to the face,
Plavecz said he had picked up a kitchen knife from the sink at the party, and concealed it in the waistband of his trousers. He said he then ‘blanked out’ and could not remember the stabbing itself.
Mr Szalasny died at the scene. Plavecz will be sentenced on Thursday, January 27, but he faces a mandatory life sentence.
In the witness stand last week, Plavecz said he had attended a number of parties at the address in the past, as he knew the owner of the house. He said he had never met Mr Szalasny before that night.
He said he had turned up at the address at about 7pm on May 7, before leaving to get changed and returning later in the night. He told the jury that his ex-girlfriend had argued with a female friend of his in the kitchen at the party.
He said after there had been an argument between the two women, Mr Szalasny had come into the kitchen.
He told the jury: “Daniel came into the kitchen. I did not know what he was saying. It was loud. I did a nervous laugh. He tried to come towards me, then one of his friends tried to stop him.
“I don’t know why he tried to come towards me. He had his hands in his trousers, trying to come towards me.
“I picked up a knife from the sink.”
He said he put the knife in the waistband of his trousers.
When asked by defence barrister Stephen Spence if he had taken a knife to the party, he said he had not.
Plavecz said Mr Szalasny had ‘pulled something’ when they were in the living room, and he had cut his hand trying to grab it.
He told the jury: “Daniel pulled something. I couldn’t tell you if it was a knife.
“He was next to the doors. My instinct was to try and grab it. It was sharp. I didn’t realise it had cut me.”
He said shortly afterwards, the owner of the home had ‘kicked everyone out’ of the building. While outside,
Plavecz said Mr Szalasny had punched him. When asked what happened next, he said; “I don’t remember.”
Mr Spence asked what he remembered next, and he replied: “Just running. He followed me. I heard him fall to the floor. I didn’t realise what happened. It was so quick.
“I still had the knife in my hand. I just kept on running.”
Expert witness Dr Richard Pool, a consultant psychiatrist, told the jury there were a number of factors that could have explained Plavecz’s behaviour on the night in question.
The court heard historical medical records and reports going back to 2015.
In one report from the Youth Offending Service in 2015, it was said that he displayed ‘challenging’ behaviour ‘most days’, including making threats to kill himself and staff.
The report also said that while there were no issues in Plavecz’s birth, his mum drank ‘approximately one bottle of wine a night and more at weekends’ while she was pregnant with him.
The reports also said that there were a number of issues of domestic violence in the family home when he was young.Whenaskedbydefence barrister Stephen Spence
what his opinion of Plavecz’s condition was, Dr Pool said: “The clinical impression is that he has a diagnosis of ADHD, and my analysis is that it is in the severe arena.”
Mr Spence asked Dr Pool about Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). Dr Pool said there was increasing work looking at how FAS and ADHD were ‘intertwined’, saying that FAS could lead to ADHD.
He said: “In this case, with my impression of ADHD being in the severe arena, is that I think FAS is an important aspect.” He also said traumatic experiences when he was younger, including witnessing domestic violence , could also be a factor.
Dr Pool had seen CCTV footage of the fatal incident. which showed Mr Szalasny punch Plavecz in the seconds before the stabbing.
Dr Pool said the impact produced a ‘fight, flight or freeze respone’ – but that Plavecz’s mental disorder resulted in that : “being amplified, as a result of fear, anxiety and a desire to protect people around him.”
John Farmer, prosecuting, asked Dr Pool about Plavecz not being able to remember the details. Mr Pool said it was possible that during the stabbing, his brain had stopped him remembering the details because it was a traumatic event.
However, he could not give a medical explanation of why he might have forgotten the details of the incident.
However, Dr Nuwan Galappathie, a fellow consultant forensic psychiatrist said he believed the disorder would not have substantially affected that ability.
Dr Galappathie said he agreed with some parts of Dr Pool’s opinions, including that Plavecz has ADHD.
He said he: “formed the opinion that the ADHD did not affect his (Plavecz) ability to form a rational judgement.”
John Farmer, prosecuting, then asked Dr Galappathie if the ADHD would affect his ability to exercise self control.
He replied: “It can make individuals more impulsive but it would be to a limited extent, and not substantially impaired to exercise self control.
“I formed the opinion he has an anger management problem, as indincated by his history of violence.
“He also reported drinking alcohol (on the night leading up to the stabbing) and was affected by the alcohol.”
Dr Galappathie said Plavecz’s actions he had witnessed on CCTV footage of the incident indicated he was in control of his actions.
He said; “The way he moves forward while the victim is backing away, it looks like it is a goal directed action, showing control. He is thinking something then actually thinking about doing it.
“To me it shows him being purposeful. If he is choosing to take a knife out, that is a goaldirected action.”
In the incident Mr Szalasny suffered six stab wounds, including the fatal one to the heart. Dr Galappathie said on the CCTV he had witnessed Plavecz making three stabbing motions.
He said: “I saw him make three stabbing motions, then there was a gap and they went off screen, then I presume he stabbed again.
“In my opinion the fact there as a gap between episodes of stabbing indicates it was not impulsive, it was a goal-directed action.”
Stephen Spence, defending, said that no witnesses reported two separate episodes of stabbing, and asked if that would make Dr Galappathie’s reasoning incorrect.
Dr Galappathie replied; “It doesn’t change my opinion. He would still have been able to exercise self control.”
Dr Galappathie’s testimony was the last evidence to be heard in the trial.