Family pays tribute to dad killed in Peterborough hammer attack

The two men who carried out the attack have been sentenced.

Leam Smith, 19, and Alvaro Vilhete, 30, clashed with the victim, Dainius Kasiliauskis, 27, in a dispute over drugs.

At the time of the attack, Smith was wanted by police in relation to an unconnected robbery.

He joined local drug dealer Vilhete at the party in a flat in Tilton Court on Thursday, 11 June, where the pair drank and took drugs throughout the night and into the early hours the following day.

The victim made frequent visits to the flat during the course of the evening to get drugs, before tempers flared.

A fight ensued between Mr Kasiliauskis and Vilhete. Vilhete assaulted him with a hammer and within seconds, Smith stormed over and attacked Mr Kasiliauskis with a sword.

The pair struck and stabbed the victim repeatedly until he lay slumped against a wall.

After seeing the brutal attack unfold other party-goers fled the scene and called police, while one witness stayed, attempting to resuscitate Mr Kasiliauskis.

CCTV images captured Smith and Vilhete fleeing minutes before police and paramedics arrive.

Vilhete and Smith were arrested the following day. Both men denied murder and stood trial at Cambridge Crown Court where they were found guilty, Smith for murder and Vilhette wounding with intent.

On Friday (22 January) at the same court, Leam Smith, of no fixed address but from the Peterborough area, was sentenced to life in prison, of which he must serve a minimum term of 17 years.

Smith was also sentenced for his part in a robbery in June 2020. He was sentenced to three-and-a-half years for robbery and six months for assault occasioning ABH - both of which will run concurrently to his life sentence.

Alvaro Vilhete, also of no fixed address but from the Peterborough area, was handed a seven-year sentence for wounding with intent.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Langford, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said: “A young man’s life has been ended due to a split-second decision to pick up a blade.

“Although we hope this conviction will provide some solace to Dainius’s family, they will still have to suffer the enduring pain of losing a loved one.

“I hope others will learn from this and make better choices when faced with confrontation.”

In a tribute, Mr Kasiliauskis’s family said: “He was a courageous person who would never shy away from a challenge. Anyone he’d see he would greet and cheer up, simply by being himself. His passion for boxing made him an inspiration to his friends, family and people he didn’t even know. From coaching children to helping people as a personal trainer, there’s nothing he wouldn’t have done to help the people in his community.

“Dainius was a father of three and a fitness instructor. He was always smiling and if he saw someone in need of help, he would do his best to support them. He was a great person who inspired others with his loyalty and kindness.”