Southend man jailed for nine years after knife attack

A man who attacked and robbed a man in his 70s in Southend has been jailed.

41 year-old Dusan Vavrek attacked his victim with a knife before stealing hundreds of pounds in March.

Mr Vavrek and the victim had been neighbours in Westcliff before Vavrek moved away - but police say he would visit the victim at home, asking for money for cigarettes, alcohol or drugs.

On 31 March, officers say Vavrek became violent and attacked his victim with a knife, before the victim handed £900 pounds over.

Vavrek admitted robbery, wounding with intent and three counts of possession of a knife.

He was jailed at Basildon Crown Court on 22 October for nine years and two months.

Chief Inspector Dave Browning, the Southend district commander, said:

“The victim in this case thought he was going to die at the hands of this violent offender.

“He describes the look in Vavrek’s eyes as ‘desperate’ and a ‘killer look’. He told us Vavrek ‘meant business’.

“This was a horrendous assault carried out against a man who had shown nothing but good will and kindness to Vavrek.

“This case illustrates the wider offending which flows from the supply and use of Class A drugs.

“Addiction causes desperation and devastation, fuelling violent knife crime, disorder and theft.

“We have teams of officers and detectives working across Southend, in local and community policing, CID and our Serious Violence Unit, to tackle this issue.

“We’re committed to bringing the perpetrators of knife crime to justice, but also look to work with partners in the health sector and the criminal justice system to identify the causes and trends fuelling this offending.

“From the outset of this investigation we were determined to get justice for the victim and soon identified Vavrek as the person responsible.

“He has been handed a lengthy sentence as a result of this extensive investigation.”