A car thief has been jailed for the manslaughter of a man he killed with a single punch.
Edgaras Motiejunas, 24, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment at the Old Bailey on Tuesday, for the manslaughter of Evaldas Simanaitis, who was found seriously injured outside his home in Leytonstone, east London.
Prosecutors said Motiejunas, of New Road, Rainham, east London, punched Mr Simanaitis “hard in the face” to the floor at 3.55am on October 16 2023, before stealing his car from Matcham Road.
Mr Simanaitis, 68, immediately fell backwards after being struck and hit the back of his head on the stone pavement, causing a severe injury to his brain, the court heard.
Rather than remain at the scene and summon help for Mr Simanaitis you left him lying unconscious on the pavement and drove away in his car
Prosecutor Sam Trefgarne said that rather than helping Mr Simanaitis, who was lying “unconscious or semi-conscious” on the floor, Motiejunas “callously left him there bleeding and disorientated while he stole his car”.
Mr Simanaitis died in hospital of his head injuries on October 26 2023.
Motiejunas, who had worked as a mechanic, was arrested by police after being found in possession of a key that fitted Mr Simanaitis’s Toyota Avensis.
The defendant, known as Ignas, had also pleaded guilty to the theft of the Toyota Avensis car on October 16 2023, but denied robbery.
Motiejunas, who had numerous previous convictions in Lithuania and Germany, left Lithuania as a teenager and travelled to England via Ireland, without proper documentation, aged 20.
Judge Simon Mayo KC said the stealing of the car was a “seriously aggravating factor”.
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Mayo said: “Rather than remain at the scene and summon help for Mr Simanaitis you left him lying unconscious on the pavement and drove away in his car.”
Mr Simanaitis’s son, who has the same name, Evaldas, said he was “upset, anxious and stressed” by his father’s death.
In a personal impact statement, he told the court: “I cannot come to terms with the loss of my father. I think about him every day.”
Defending, Leila Gaskin said Motiejunas would “bear a heavy burden for his actions for the rest of his life”.
Ms Gaskin added: “He accepted that his unlawful actions led to the death of Evaldas Simanaitis and he takes full responsibility for that.”
