Courts / Cavan / Report
Nine years for man who used "kill floor" knife in manslaughter of poker opponent
Summary
A 39-year-old man has been sentenced to nine years imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court for the manslaughter of his housemate in Ballyjamesduff, County Cavan on New Year's Day 2018. Tomasz Paszkiewicz was convicted by jury of fatally stabbing Marek Swider, aged 40, with a boning knife following a dispute over money lost in a poker game. The defendant was cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter. Justice Tara Burns noted Paszkiewicz's expertise with the blade from his employment at a meat factory and identified the killing as falling within the serious category of such offences. She imposed a headline sentence of thirteen years, reducing it to nine years in consideration of his guilty plea, remorse, cooperation with gardaí, and personal circumstances. Paszkiewicz expressed sincere apology to the deceased's family and his own. The victim died from two stab wounds to the chest and abdomen. The unnamed 39-year-old pleaded not guilty.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Nine years for man who used "kill floor" knife in manslaughter of poker opponent. Charges or matters: murder but guilty to the manslaughter of fellow Polish man Marek Swider (40) outside their home on Dublin Street, Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan on January 1, 2018. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- January 1, 2018 Other
- New Year's morning Other
- 2019-07-25 Publication
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Charges: murder but guilty to the manslaughter of fellow Polish man Marek Swider (40) outside their home on Dublin Street, Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan on January 1, 2018 (Alleged Or Contested)
Plea: Not guilty
Outcome: A meat factory worker has been jailed for nine years for using his boning knife to kill his housemate after losing hundreds of euro to him in poker. She was speaking today as she sentenced the 39-year-old, whom a jury cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter with the knife from the factory's 'kill floor'.
Places mentioned
- The Central Criminal Court
- Dublin Street
Topics
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