Oskars Kantors was found guilty of murder at Ipswich Crown Court today, Wednesday 15 November, after a trial lasting just over two weeks.
The attacks were motivated by jealousy and took place on Monday 17 October 2022 in Leiston. Kantors, from Old School Close, had previously admitted to two assaults causing actual bodily harm before being convicted of murder.
The first attack occurred just before 5pm when Kantors struck a 50-year-old man at the flat of his ex-girlfriend off High Street. The victim suffered multiple punches to the face and required hospital treatment.
The second attack happened around 8.20pm at a house in Old School Close. Kantors entered while a woman was upstairs bathing her child. He grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the floor, causing a knee injury. This assault was not reported to police until after 9pm.
The fatal attack took place at 8.50pm when police were called to a home in Old School Close after Agris Leigavnieks, 41, was found barely breathing. Despite emergency medical care, he later died at Ipswich Hospital.
Kantors was quickly identified and arrested near the scene on the night of the attacks. He was initially treated under police guard for injuries from a separate incident and was charged with murder on 20 October. He appeared before magistrates the following day.
During the trial, it was revealed that after an argument with his girlfriend, Kantors told a neighbour he had stabbed Leigavnieks and confessed to the earlier assaults. He cited jealousy over suspected affairs as his motive. Kantors admitted to drinking alcohol throughout the day and said he intended to “put Mr Leigavnieks in hospital,” but denied intending to kill him. He claimed diminished responsibility due to alcoholism, a defence supported by forensic psychiatrists.
The jury rejected the diminished responsibility defence and returned a unanimous guilty verdict for murder. Kantors remains in custody and is due to be sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court on Friday 17 November.
Originally published by UKNIP.
