A FATHER-of-six has been jailed for life for stabbing a man to death in the doorway of a Bradford house.

Stanislav Misko, 48, was unanimously found guilty today by a jury at Leeds Crown Court of murdering Marek Benak on October 23 last year.

Ordering Misko to serve a minimum of 28 years, Mr Justice Lewis said he had shown significant pre-meditation.

“The nature of the weapon, the nature of the force used and circumstances of the offence all point to the fact you set out to kill Marek Benak that night. He was just 23-years-old.”

The six man six woman jury took a little under four hours reaching their unanimous verdict.

The judge said on the night of October 22 Mr Benak was at the home of his cousin and his wife in Great Horton Road, Bradford with the couple’s baby sleeping upstairs.

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“Also present was another of Marek’s friends and yourself. It was a pleasant evening with drinking and socialising until at some stage there was an argument between you and Marek Benak.

“The atmosphere deteriorated, you left the house and walked back to your own home some distance away in Horton Grange Road, your armed yourself with a kitchen knife and then you walked all the way back to 550 Great Horton Road.”

“You smoked a cigarette, looked in through the living room window of the house, you then knocked on the front door. It was answered and Marek Benak was called to the door, there was a further disagreement between you and Marek Benak.”

The judge said when Mr Benak pushed him, Misko then produced the knife and plunged it once into his victim to the left side of the abdomen.

“The knife penetrated the abdominal cavity, cut through the cartilage of the ribs and then the bowel. It cut the aorta and a vein and penetrated one of the vertabra. The force was severe, there was considerable loss of blood and Marek Benak died shortly afterwards in the hallway of his cousin’s home.”

Misko then walked back to his own address, CCTV capturing him putting the knife back into his pocket. He said the inevitable inference from the evidence was that he had taken the knife with him intending to kill Mr Benak “and you did use it to kill him.”

Misko, an electrician, who originates from Slovakia, denied in evidence he was the person on CCTV footage and claimed after he left the house in Great Horton Road he had not returned.

Rupert Bowers QC defending him urged the judge not to consider there was significant pre-meditation since Misko had only produced the knife after he was pushed by Mr Benak and only struck one blow.

The court was told Mr Benak’s body was repatriated to his family in Slovakia.

After the case Detective Chief Inspector Mark McManus said: “Misko has consistently denied that he was responsible for Mr Benak’s death and we welcome the conviction and sentence he has now been given.

“The community of Great Horton really got behind the police investigation into this incident and I would personally like to thank them for the vital contribution they made.

“More than 20 people came forward to provide their private residential and commercial CCTV which enabled detectives to trace Misko’s movements and disprove his claims that he was at home at the time of the murder.”