A thug has been jailed after fatally stabbing a man following an argument in a restaurant.

Aturas Kurpis, who was tracked down at an address in Dartford last year and arrested, has now been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Paulius Karalius.

The court heard how Kurpis had a number of convictions, including threatening behaviour with a kitchen knife for which he was imprisoned for 18 months, common assault, battery, possession of a knife, assault on police and being drunk and disorderly.

As well as this, he also has convictions for criminal damage and theft in his native Lithuania and a conviction for assault in Spain.

On November 5, 2021, Paulius, who was also of Lithuanian descent, had gone to a restaurant in Leytonstone, East London, with his girlfriend who lived in the same road as Kurpis.

Kurpis, 39, was also at the restaurant and began stealing the microphone from a singer and behaving badly before he was told to leave by Mr Karalius and his friends.

Minutes later Kurpis rang the restaurant and asked to be on speaker phone, before threatening to stab Mr Karalius.

Paulius left the restaurant later and went to his girlfriend’s home, and as he left her building with his three friends, he was confronted outside by Kurpis who had armed himself with a kitchen knife which he wrapped in a green cloth.

Paulius was stabbed once in the chest and was rushed to hospital where he had heart surgery, however, he died six days later.

A post-mortem examination found that his brain had been starved of oxygen as a result on the wound inflicted, which had struck his heart.

Paulius’ friends fought with Kurpis and took the kitchen knife off him, and Kurpis then made his way back to the flat and called police saying he had been assaulted.

Two of the attending officers realised the call could be linked to the stabbing and forced entry to the flats, following a blood trail to Kurpis’ flat.

He opened the door and was arrested and cautioned. He appeared very drunk and was abusive and violent towards officers.

The knife used was a ‘Kitchen Devil’s’ carving-type knife, 35cm in total length with a sharp point. Similar style knives were found in his kitchen.

After being interviewed, Kurpis was released on bail to stay at a hotel in Ilford because his own address was still being forensically examined.

"This is another young life lost to a senseless scourge of knife crime and the loss will never leave those affected."

When the murder investigation team went to the hotel to re-arrest him on November 9, they found he had left 24 hours before.

He was eventually tracked down and arrested for murder at an address in Dartford and was later charged.

Kurpis, 39, of St Anne’s Row, Tower Hamlets, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday, December 9 and will serve a minimum of 21 years.

He was found guilty of murder and possession of an offensive weapon at the same court on Friday, December 2.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil John, from the Specialist Crime Command, said: "Kurpis is a man with a history of violence who has previously carried out numerous assaults and has served time in prison for a knife offence.

"In contrast, Paulius Karalius was a man of good character who was just spending a Friday night out with his girlfriend.

"Kurpis was drunk, but his intent that night was clear. He threatened to stab Paulius in a phone call, went to his flat, armed himself with a knife and then went downstairs to do bloody murder.

"Kurpis has now been jailed and I am sure that London will be a better place with him behind bars for a long time, but this will only be a small consolation to the family and friends of Paulius.

"This is another young life lost to a senseless scourge of knife crime and the loss will never leave those affected."