Man killed his best friend 'in broad daylight'

A man who murdered his best friend "in broad daylight" with a broken bottle of rum has been jailed for life.

Viktors Zeglovs, 34, of no fixed address, admitted murdering Vadims Zmicerevskis, 45, following an incident at the junction of Green Lane and St Thomas Road in Spalding, Lincolnshire, on 11 November 2024.

Lincoln Crown Court was told Zeglovs carried out the attack on Mr Zmicerevskis shortly after his friend had tried to separate him from a fight with another man.

"He jabbed it into the deceased's neck," prosecutor John Lloyd-Jones KC told the court, adding that it quickly led to blood pouring from the wound.

A post-mortem confirmed Mr Zmicerevskis died from a 9cm (3.5in) deep wound to his neck, which cut his jugular vein.

On Thursday, Zeglovs was sentenced to life imprisonment and told he will have to serve a minimum of 11 years and 306 days in prison before he can apply for parole.

Lincoln Crown Court heard much of the fatal attack was caught on CCTV at the junction of Green Lane and St Thomas Road shortly after 14:00 GMT on 11 November 2024.

CCTV showed the pair "appearing to be laughing" before Zeglovs became involved in the fight with the other man.

Mr Lloyd-Jones said Zeglovs had lost his temper and turned his attentions to Mr Zmicerevskis after a third man knocked Zeglovs to the floor and walked off.

Mr Lloyd-Jones said Mr Zmicerevskis remained "passive" as Zeglovs dragged him into the road and struck him with his slider before repeatedly punching him.

"The deceased did not fight back at all," Mr Lloyd-Jones explained.

The court heard Zeglovs then pushed Mr Zmicerevskis towards a set of railings and grabbed a bottle of rum from his friend's pocket, which he broke before pausing momentarily.

Mr Lloyd-Jones said Zeglovs by this stage had "converted the bottle into a deadly weapon" before he "jabbed it into the deceased's neck".

"This was a killing in broad daylight in a residential street," Mr Lloyd-Jones stated.

Mr Lloyd-Jones said it was accepted that Zeglovs did not set out that day with the intention of killing Mr Zmicerevskis, and could be seen tending to his dying friend on the CCTV.

Gordon Aspden KC, mitigating, told the court a witness to the attack described Zeglovs taking off his shirt to place on the wound and then screaming for help for his friend.

A police officer also remembered Zeglovs repeatedly asking: "Is he going to die?"

Mr Aspden said: "It is accepted this was a needless and senseless act which led to the loss of a precious life."

He argued Zeglovs' assessment of risk was impacted by his intoxication on the day and his alcohol-related mental health problems.

"This was one blow and he stopped," Mr Aspden added. "There are not many murderers who plead guilty."

The court heard at the time of the murder, both men, from Latvia, were living at an address in Cross Street, Spalding.

Passing a life sentence, Judge Catarina Sjolin Knight told Zeglovs: "On 11 November 2024 you murdered your friend."

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here, external.

Download the BBC News app from the App Store, external for iPhone and iPad or Google Play, external for Android devices