A remorseful killer who “struggles” to come to terms with how he took his friend’s life following an argument has been jailed for five years and four months.
Dawid Majewicz, 43, struck pal Jacek Dembinski on the arm with a kitchen knife during a confrontation in Aberdeen last August.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how Majewicz claims that Mr Dembinski hit him on the head with a bottle in the moments leading up to the stabbing.
Mr Dembinksi, 44, was later seen to collapse with blood pouring from him outside the block of flats in Aberdeen where Majcewicz lived.
Despite undergoing emergency surgery, the victim later died at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, the High Court in Edinburgh heard.
Today, Majewicz appeared for sentencing again at the High Court in Edinburgh.
Sentence had been deferred at an earlier hearing for judge Lord Scott to receive reports on the offender’s background.
At the latest hearing, defence advocate David Moggach KC told Lord Scott that his client was struggling to come to terms with what he had done.
Mr Moggach added: “He is hugely and deeply regretful of his actions. He has expressed remorse, genuine remorse.
“It was not his intention to kill Mr Dembinski.
“He has to accept and live with the fact that his actions have resulted in him taking somebody else’s life.
“He struggles with that.”
Majewicz was originally charged with murder following the fatal attack, which carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment, but pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of culpable homicide, when he appeared in court earlier this year.
Majewicz, a car valeter, formerly of Rosehill Court, in Aberdeen, admitted assaulting and killing Mr Dembinski on August 27 last year.
Killer has a history of violence
He struggled with his victim, struck him on the arm with a knife and failed to summon emergency medical aid for the victim.
Prosecutor Louise Beattie said Majewicz, who was born in Poland and moved to Scotland in 2008, has three previous convictions for violence, including a serious assault.
She said he was seen with his victim in an Aldi store buying what appeared to be a large bottle of vodka prior to the fatal attack.
Mr Dembinski, who was also from Poland, had told a neighbour that he was going to his friend’s home.
They were seen together in a lift at Rosehill Court before going into Majewicz’s flat in the block.
The prosecutor said that a neighbour subsequently heard sounds of an on-and-off disturbance coming from the flat.
She told the court that Majewicz’s position was that they were at his flat drinking when they started to argue and the now deceased picked up a bottle of Jack Daniel’s and brandished it at him.
Majewicz picked up the knife and brandished the weapon at his victim and during an ensuing struggle struck him on the arm with the blade after he was hit with the bottle, resulting in significant blood loss.
The injured man was seen in the lift bleeding profusely from his arm and neighbours who saw him outside the block of flats contacted emergency services.
Ms Beattie said: “He was seen by a witness from her window at a nearby block of flats to collapse forward to the ground, at which point blood was pouring from underneath him onto the pavement.
Victim died of complications due to injury
A witness who was leaving Rosehill Court heard him say: “Help me, help.” He went to the stricken victim’s aid until emergency services arrived.
Police who went to Majewicz’s flat found that it was heavily blood-stained throughout. The victim was later found to have died following complications from the arm wound.
On Tuesday, Lord Scott told Majewicz that he’d also be supervised by the authorities for two years and eight months following his release from custody.
Passing sentence, Lord Scott said: “There’s no sentence that I can impose that can help Mr Dembinski or help his family deal with the loss of a loved one through a violent death.
“In all the circumstances, a custodial sentence is the only appropriate disposal in this case.
“It is necessary as to punish you and to seek to deter you and others from acting in this way and to protect the public from you.”