A partygoer who stabbed a man to death last year and claimed a behavioural disorder caused him to lose self-control has been jailed for life.

Bradley Plavecz, 21, admitted stabbing 22-year-old Daniel Szalasny at a party in Crown Street, Peterborough on 8 May.

He denied he intended to kill him, claiming the behavioural disorder – attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) – caused him to ‘lose it’.

A jury at Peterborough Crown Court disagreed and found him guilty of murder following a week-long trial earlier this month.

On January 27, he was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 22 years.

When sentencing, the judge said aggravating factors were Plavecz’s history of carrying knives, being on licence for robbery and his entrenched anger issues.

The jury were told how a ‘Snapchat party’ had been organised for the evening of Friday, May 7, in Crown Street, New England, and was attended by about 25 to 30 people.

An argument started in the flat in the early hours of the following morning with one witness reporting seeing Plavecz with a knife, while another reported hearing him say “I have a knife”.

The commotion resulted in the host asking everyone to leave, when a fight broke out between two women outside.

Both Plavecz, known locally as ‘Pablo’, and Daniel tried to break up the brawl but began fighting themselves, with Daniel punching Plavecz once in the face.

Plavecz retaliated by pulling out a knife and stabbing Daniel several times before fleeing the scene.

Police and paramedics were called but despite best efforts, Daniel died before he could be taken to hospital.

A post-mortem examination concluded he suffered six stab wounds and died of a single stab wound to his chest, which pierced his heart.

He also had a broken nose and cheekbone, abrasions to his face and defence wounds to his arms.

Following a lengthy manhunt, Plavecz handed himself in at Thorpe Wood Police Station on 12 May, where he was arrested on suspicion of murder.

In interview, he initially refused to answer questions put to him, but after being shown CCTV footage of the attack, provided a prepared statement where he claimed he acted in self-defence.

He told detectives Daniel had a knife which he took off him and “may have stabbed him in self-defence in the struggle but had no intention to cause him serious injury or kill him”.

It was pointed out that the CCTV clearly showed him reach into his pocket after he had been punched, and Daniel’s hands were open, with no knife in them.

Plavecz, of Arkwright Way in Gunthorpe, Peterborough, then reverted to answering “no comment” until he became agitated.

He told officers there were two knives and he would show them where the other one is, at which point his solicitor interjected and he again refused to comment any further.

He was later charged with Daniel’s murder which he denied in court, claiming his ADHD substantially impacted his ability to exercise self-control.

A man and woman, both 35, and a 29-year-old man were all arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, however all had no further action taken against them.

DCI Emma Pitts, from the Beds, Cambs and Herts Major Crime Unit, said: “This is another tragic case where a young life has been lost to knife crime.

“I urge our communities to help us prevent other lives being lost and report information to us about people who carry knives or weapons. This can be done anonymously and could be a couple of minutes out of your day which saves someone’s life.”