A barman who stabbed a Ukrainian music teacher to death was jailed for life at Manchester Crown Court today.
Andrij Senechko, 46, of no fixed address, must now serve a minimum of 20 years for killing Yuriy Kozak with a single stab wound to the neck.
During the week-long trial, the jury heard how Senechko knifed Kozak for no apparent reason before calmly suggesting witnesses call the emergency services.
Senior investigator Andrew Tattersall said: “Yuriy was a popular member of the Ukrainian community and had been entertaining his friends the night before he died.
“We might never know exactly why Senechko attacked Yuriy, but we do know the horrific consequences.
“Yuriy bled to death after being stabbed once in the neck. His death has left a large hole in the lives of his wife and children, as well as many friends and family.”
On the night before his death, Kozak had played guitar at the Astoria bar and restaurant on Empire Street, Cheetham, where Senechko was working behind the bar.
Both men and two female companions went back to a flat on Cornwall House, Rodney Street, Salford where they all spent the night.
The group continued to drink the following day and Kozak was seen briefly flirting with one of the women, however the mood with the group apparently remained light-hearted.
Yet moments later, as Kozak smoked a cigarette on the balcony, Senechko approached him from behind and, without warning, stabbed him once in the neck with a large kitchen knife.
Following the incident, Senechko returned to the kitchen where he calmly washed the knife before he was confronted by the flats occupants.
After telling the flats occupants ‘you can’t prove anything’, Senechko was then heard suggesting someone ‘call 911 or something similar’.
Police and emergency services battled to save Kozak’s life, however, he was later pronounced dead at Manchester Royal Infirmary.
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