Rihards Lavickis’s manslaughter plea rejected as murder trial continues

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Rihards Lavickis pleaded not guilty to murder and guilty to the manslaughter of Akadiusz 'Arek' Czajkowski. The manslaughter plea was rejected, and the murder trial continued at the Central Criminal Court before Justice Una Ni Raifeartaigh and a jury.

The proceedings were reported on 13 February 2018. Czajkowski was stabbed in Longford on 1 November 2016.

Lavickis’s partner, Inita Rozkalne, told the trial that about six months before the stabbing she saw Czajkowski hitting Lavickis with his fists while an older man kicked him. She said that after the stabbing Lavickis returned home with blood on his trousers and told her he had stabbed Czajkowski twice.

Detective Garda Damien McGovern said Lavickis told gardaí that Czajkowski had attacked and chased him the previous night and then broken his windows. The trial was continuing.