Brent Man Jailed for Stabbing Housemate to Death After Boozy Row
A 24-year-old man has been locked up for nearly 11 years for fatally stabbing his housemate in a brutal late-night brawl.
Deadly Dispute at Brent Home
Volodymyr Holovatskyi, of Village Way, was sentenced on Thursday, 8 October, at Isleworth Crown Court. He received 10 years and 9 months for the manslaughter of 28-year-old Dmytro Balaban.
The tragedy unfolded in the early hours of 14 December 2019 when police were called at 1:40am after reports of an assault at their shared home.
Victim Found With Fatal Stab Wound
Dmytro, a Ukrainian national, was found inside with a stab wound to his neck. Paramedics fought to save him but he was pronounced dead at 2:08am.
Emergency teams found Holovatskyi outside, covered in blood later confirmed as Dmytro’s.
Argument Spirals Out of Control
Sources say the pair had a minor argument earlier that evening, fuelled by alcohol. What started as a row turned deadly.
Holovatskyi was arrested on the scene and charged with murder. On 17 October, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Detective Inspector Colin McKeen of Specialist Crime South said:
“This was an extremely tragic incident following a disagreement which was unfortunately fuelled by alcohol. As a result, one young man has very sadly lost his life; and a second will now be spending a considerable time behind bars.”
A second man arrested during the investigation was later released with no further action.
