Boston man jailed for three years after 'one punch' death
A man has been jailed for a one punch assault which led to the death of a much-loved dad.Gediminas Vaitkus, aged 43, of Tunnard Street, Boston, was attacked by Hikmet Maez, aged 19, in Red Lion Street in the town at around 6.15pm on July 28th.
Mr Vaitkus visited International Food and Drink at around 5.50pm on July 28 where he attempted to buy a bottle of alcohol.
Maez, who was serving behind the counter, refused to sell the alcohol to Mr Vaitkus.Mr Vaitkus then left the shop and went to a nearby shop, International Food and Drink.
Mr Vaitkus made a purchase in the premises and as walked out he was prodded by Maez, who had followed him into the shop. Maez then pushed Mr Vaitkus in the back.Maez then picked up a glass bottle and threw it at his victim. Mr Vaitkus managed to block this and continued walking along the street.
Maez continued to follow him a short distance before kicking him in the leg and punching him in the face. The punch to the face caused Mr Vaitkus to fall to the ground and bang his head causing a fatal head injury.Mr Vaitkus was taken to QMC where he never recovered from his injuries and sadly died on August 3rd.
Maez fled the scene in his car but was tracked down and arrested by officers around two hours later.
Maez, of Spilsby Road, Boston, pleaded guilty to the charge of manslaughter when he appeared at Lincoln Crown Court on September 24.
He was sentenced to three years in prison when he appeared at Lincoln Crown Court on Monday (21 December).
Paying tribute to Gediminas, his 19-year-old daughter, who wishes not to be named, said: “Not a day goes by that we do not think about our dear dad. We are truly and deeply devastated.
"My seven-year-old brother is finding it so difficult to deal with dad's passing and is constantly asking mum when he will get to see his dad. It breaks our heart having to tell him that dad will never be returning.
“Our dear dad was a devoted family man and loved us all, including his mum and siblings who are also finding it extremely hard to cope with, especially him being the youngest of 4.
"It has been the worst thing we have ever had to go through and we truly hope that no one ever has to suffer the pain that we have been through due to a careless act that happened whilst he was simply walking home.
"Our dad loved life and his freedom, who worked hard to make sure me and my brother were both happy at all times.
“We, as a family, are still struggling to come to terms with not being able to see our loved one again, it's hard to believe that that is the reality we are going to have to live with. We have been torn into pieces and we miss our dad more and more everyday.”
The family has asked for media to respect their privacy at this very difficult time.