Man stabbed neighbour and stated ‘you’ll die tonight’ after refusing to show down music

Peter Lesko ‘completely lost it’ and climbed through a window before stabbing his neighbour in east Hull, telling him ‘you will die tonight’, Hull Crown Court heard

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A family man tormented by the constant blaring music from his neighbour’s house, finally “snapped” one night and went on a “frenzied” rampage during a “sustained and relentless” knife assault on the other man. Food factory worker Peter Lesko reached his “tipping point”, clambered through an open kitchen window into his neighbour’s home, and launched a brutal attack of punches and stabs.

He chillingly warned his neighbour “you will die tonight” after seizing a knife. The unsuspecting man had dozed off whilst listening to loud music, only to be rudely awakened by a flurry of punches, Hull Crown Court was told.

Lesko, 48, previously of Broadley Close, east Hull, but recently held in custody on remand, pleaded guilty to wounding the man with intent to cause grievous bodily harm on October 25. He denied attempted murder, and that charge was subsequently dropped by the prosecution.

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Michele Stuart-Lofthouse, prosecuting, revealed that Lesko and the victim were neighbours in a semi-detached property at the time, and there had been previous issues between them.

The neighbour was at home, unwinding after work, enjoying a drink and listening to “moderately loud” music past midnight. Lesko called the police to report this, reports Hull Live.

After 1am, another man rang the police suspecting a burglary was underway at his neighbour’s home.

Police arrived through a rear patio door and discovered Lesko’s neighbour wounded. The victim had been resting on a sofa when Lesko burst into the property and confronted him.

He seized the man by his hair, slammed his head against the floor, threatened to slice his ears off and declared: “You will die tonight.”

The man explained that he had been asleep but was woken by Lesko “going berserk” and striking him in the face. Lesko stabbed him repeatedly with a knife from the victim’s kitchen and also struck him with a speaker, which shattered in two.

Lesko carried on kicking and punching the man whilst hurling pieces of the speaker at him. “The man managed to escape upstairs and lock himself in his bedroom,” said Miss Stuart-Lofthouse.

Lesko pursued him and attempted to smash the door down before heading back downstairs and hurling items around. He was arrested at his own home at 1.45am.

The victim was rushed to Hull Royal Infirmary. He had sustained two wounds to the back of his right arm as well as lower back and forearm injuries.

He later said: “This incident has made me feel scared to go back to my home. You never expect your neighbour to behave in such a way. I no longer feel safe in my address.

“I feel unsafe and isolated. I feel I was lucky to survive with my life.”

He could not initially return to his work as a joiner but he later did so, on light duties. David McGonigal, defending, argued that “everyone has a breaking point” and Lesko “lost it” due to his neighbour constantly blasting loud music.

His young son couldn’t get to sleep, vibrations shook the lounge and Lesko had to crank up his television volume just to hear it.

“The music went on into the early hours,” said Mr McGonigal. “He describes the music as being unbearable.”

A previous resident of the property found the booming music a nightmare and alleged that the neighbour went on “two or three-day benders”. The neighbour was “unapproachable” and Lesko’s daughter was frequently disturbed from her sleep. “He tried to reason with his neighbour initially by going round and speaking to him,” said Mr McGonigal. “That didn’t work. “Officers spoke to the man on October 19 and offered him words of advice. The neighbour was dismissive. “Clearly, that didn’t have any effect because the music continued to be played loudly,” said Mr McGonigal.”

The defendant rang up the council on a number of occasions to seek help for them.

On the evening of the incident, he contacted police and was told to speak to the council. The music carried on along with shouting and he phoned the police again.

“Against that background, he then went round,” said Mr McGonigal. “He was banging on the door initially and the window initially to try to get the complainant to speak to him.

“Unfortunately, his emotions got the better of him and he chose to go into the house, which he did through an open kitchen window. He accepts being aggressive.”

The neighbour was in the living room. Lesko took a knife from the man’s kitchen. “He accepts using that knife,” said Mr McGonigal. “Thankfully, the injuries were not too serious.”

Lesko, along with his wife and children, had relocated to a different property but still owned the previous one and were letting it out. He had no prior convictions, had expressed remorse and was a diligent family man. Lesko, originally from Slovakia, had been employed at a food company for approximately 20 years and was highly esteemed. Judge John Thackray KC said that Lesko suffered a “high level of provocation” from very loud music being played and it had a significant and substantial impact on him and his family.

“Eventually, you lost your temper and launched a prolonged and determined attack upon your victim,” said Judge Thackray. Lesko “just completely lost it” during the attack.

“The injuries were bad but they could have been so much worse,” said Judge Thackray. “Your attack has had a profound attack upon your victim.”

Lesko received a prison sentence of two years and four months. He was also issued a five-year restraining order.

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