Victim died several days after being punched in the head
Serhiy Pelykh of North Road. Picture: Met Police
A 24-year-old man from Brentford has been jailed for five years for punching a man in the head and causing his death.
Serhiy Pelykh of North Road hit 40-year-old Stepan Suslyk of Greenford outside the Ukrainian Social Club on Holland Park Avenue.
An earlier trial failed to reach a verdict but the retrial at Isleworth Crown Court found Pelykh guilty of manslaughter on Friday 18 June.
On Sunday, 16 June 2019, the two men, who were previously unknown to each other, spent the evening together at the social club. Witness said that the two, who were both Ukrainian, left together in the early hours of the morning after Pelykh had agreed to help Stepan find a way to get to his home in Greenford.
As they walked to find a taxi a disagreement started that escalated with the defendant punching Stepan in the face at least once, causing him to fall to the ground.
Pelykh did not call an ambulance and as passers-by began to gather, he claimed that Stepan had fallen over having drunk too much. A taxi was called to take Stepan home accompanied by Pelykh who left him with his housemate.
Later Stepan was taken to a hospital suffering from a head injury. He died two days later having never regained consciousness.
A post-mortem examination confirmed the cause of death was as a result of blunt trauma to the head.
When police spoke to Pelykh during the early stages of the investigation he denied all knowledge of the events that had caused the fatal bleed to the brain.
Stepan Suslyk died of a bleed to the brain
Pelykh was arrested on Thursday, 20 June on suspicion of murder. He answered no comment to questions in interview before providing a prepared statement indicated that he acted in self-defence.
However, he was charged and subsequently convicted of Stepan’s manslaughter.
Detective Inspector Maria Green, a homicide detective from the Met’s Specialist Crime said, “The death of Stepan Suslyk was tragic, unnecessary and wholly avoidable. All he wanted to do was get home after spending the evening socialising with friends.
“Instead Serhiy Pelykh’s violent actions have robbed a wife of her husband and two children of their father. I hope that this conviction has brought some justice for Stepan and his family, but of course it will never bring him back.”
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June 18, 2021
