Man murdered his dad and then said he 'didn't like him anyway'

North Wales Live

27-06-2025

A man has been found guilty of murdering his dad. A court heard John Sarawanskyj subjected his dad Ivan, 73, to a "deliberate and sustained attack", leaving him with dozens of injuries at their home on Braemar Avenue, in Southport, in December last year.
Later Sarawanskyj visited a neighbour's house and confessed he had "jumped all over his father's head", going on to tell paramedics who attended the scene: "I'm not bothered he's dead. He wasn't a nice man."
This assault came amid ongoing arguments concerning money and John Sarawanskyj's dog Zeus, whose death around three months previously had left the 52-year-old "deeply upset". He accused his dad of plotting with vets to poison the American bulldog, following the dog's death, which sparked a "desire for revenge" in him after, reports the ECHO.
Having previously maintained that he was not present at the time of his dad's death and suggesting that a third party may have killed his father, or that he had suffered his "extensive injuries" during a fall, Sarawanskyj claimed during a two-week trial at Liverpool Crown Court that he had acted in self-defence during the course of a physical confrontation. However, his account was unanimously rejected by a jury and he was convicted of murder this morning, Friday.
Sarawanskyj kept his head bowed in the dock as the verdict was returned after two hours and 25 minutes of deliberations. He will be sentenced back at the same court on Monday next week and was further remanded into custody by Judge Brian Cummings KC until this date.
'I'm not gonna kill my old fella, am I?'
Nick Johnson KC previously told a jury of five men and seven women during the prosecution's opening earlier this month: "On Sunday the 22nd of December last year, this defendant kicked and beat his 73-year-old father to death in his own home by delivering multiple blows to his head, his chest and his abdomen. He caused 46 external injuries to his head and neck alone, including bone fractures and lacerations. He caused multiple fractures to multiple ribs and his sternum.
"He then told friends and neighbours and police that he was not even in the house at the time. He told them that he had no issues with his dad that day and that his dad was prone to falling over and could have caused the injuries himself, although he let slip to one neighbour, while in drink, that he had jumped all over his father's head. He went on to suggest to the police that someone else might have got into the house and killed him.
"The defendant now accepts that he did fight with his father, but says that what he did was reasonable in order to defend himself. However, the evidence not only reveals that the defendant had no significant injuries, as opposed to the very extensive injuries to the much older man, it will also demonstrate an unjustified, deliberate and sustained attack.
"There is also background evidence, such as arguments over giving him money for alcohol and a desire for deliberate revenge in the belief that his father had poisoned his American bulldog. As such, the prosecution say that this is a plain case of murder."
Mr Sarawanskyj had lived at the address for "a couple of years or more" before being "joined by his son in more recent months", together with Zeus and his other dog, an XL bully called Skye. But they were said to have had a "difficult relationship", with both men having a "history of alcoholism" and neighbours "hearing arguments and swearing on a regular basis".
Donna Larkey, who lived opposite the father and son, was said to have heard "loud shouting" from the property in the early hours of December 22 2024, as an "angry" John Sarawanskyj apparently demanded money. Russell Moss, who had known both parties for around three years, meanwhile recalled the defendant claiming that he, another man named Gary Buckley, Ivan Sarawanskyj "and, somehow, the local vets" had conspired to killed 11-year-old Zeus by poisoning him.
This was said to resulted in his "behaviour changing" in the months following the dog's death in September 2024. Mr Johnson added: "The prosecution's case is that the defendant was deeply upset by the death of his dog."
Upon visiting the Sarawanskyj home at around midday on December 22, Mr Moss found the father "on the floor with a black eye and blood coming from his ear". John reported at this time that Ivan had "fallen over again, the soft c***".
When Mr Moss told the son to help his dad up from the ground, he reportedly gave him a cigarette but left him in situ on the floor after adding: "He'll be alright, he'll get up himself. Take no f***ing notice. He's alright. He's staying there."
Mr Moss subsequently returned to the address later the same day, finding John "agitated" and "flipping out" but with £90 in cash and some scratch cards in his possession and stating that he "wanted £100 to buy some drugs". When the visitor went on to enquire about Ivan, Sarawanskyj was said to have replied: "No, he's f***ing down there."
Mr Johnson told the court: "That was when Mr Moss saw the deceased lying between the bed and the wall. Mr Moss immediately knew that something serious had happened. He panicked and wanted to leave, but the defendant said that he was concerned about his dog and then pushed Mr Moss into the wall.
"Mr Moss was frightened and made an excuse, saying that he needed to go see his friend but that he would be back. The defendant warned him not to say anything."
Sarawanskyj later knocked on the door of Christopher Caldwell, his next door but one neighbour, at around 9pm and allegedly made a "remarkable confession" by telling him: "He's dead, my dad. I jumped all over his head. I didn't like him anyway."
Shortly after 11.30pm, Sarawanskyj went on to visit Mr Buckley's home on nearby Eden Avenue and told him: "He's dead. I don't know what to do."
Mr Buckley then returned with him to Braemar Avenue, at which stage he saw Ivan "clearly dead" on the floor next to the bed and called 999. Sarawanskyj later answered the door to paramedics upon their arrival shortly before midnight, telling them: "He's dead. I know he's dead, but you can come in and take a look."
The "intoxicated" defendant went on to state he was unsure when he had last seen his dad alive and said he had been "out all day", adding: "I'm not bothered he's dead. He wasn't a nice man."
Ivan Sarawanskyj was meanwhile found with "multiple injuries" in a bedroom, where the walls, floor, side tables and mattress had been left "covered in blood". His son went on to tell police at the scene that he had last seen his dad alive at around 8am, adding: "I've been to town today, check the CCTV footage. He's a drinker right, I go out. I'm not gonna kill me old fella, am I?"
Officers also discovered a bloodstained sponge and cloth around the kitchen sink before arresting Sarawanskyj on suspicion of murder. While being searched by PCs, he maintained "I've done f*** all" and "complained that he had just lost his dad, but that officers were being aggressive".
Sarawankskyj later told detectives during the first of three interviews that he "hadn't got a clue what had happened, he just discovered him when he got home" and "claimed he had spent the day walking around Southport with his dog". He detailed how he had "had arguments with his dad in the past, but nothing major" and that his dad "would get angry now and again when in drink" but that he would "just get out of the way".
During a second round of questioning, Sarawanskyj said that his father "always got bevvied and fell over" and stated that the front door was "always ajar" while the back door was "insecure". He then gave a prepared statement during a third interview, saying: "I have no recollection at all of having any type of falling out with my dad on the 22nd of December. My memory is not good at all. I can't remember when I last saw my dad alive.
"As soon as I found my father lifeless, I went to my neighbour for help. I do not believe that I hurt my dad. However, my dad was a drinker and has fallen out with a lot of people. I question whether someone else has attacked him."
'It was like I was in some kind of trance'
Giving his evidence to the court last week, under questioning from his counsel Ben Myers KC, Sarawanskyj said that he had thrown his dad into a doorframe and kicked him during a physical confrontation, with the deceased having apparently thrown punches at him and tried to bite his leg. He told jurors: "It had been revving up all morning. He was casing me to go the shop from about half 5, 6 o'clock in the morning.
"I think it set him off after I come back from the shop with a can for myself. I remember paying cash out of my own pocket, but I never had enough to get my dad one."
Sarawanskyj recalled his father calling him a "good for nothing b*****d of a son" and "John the B*****d", describing him as "going crazy". He added: "He would call me all kinds. It's sad in a way, it becomes acceptable. It becomes an acceptable life, when you're going through it every day."
When Mr Myers asked how this had left him feeling, Sarawanskyj, referring to alleged incidents of abuse at his dad's hands as a child, said: "I get feelings like when I was a kid, when he used to brick our windows and beat my mum up.
"He come at me, grabbed me. I pushed him and said 'leave me alone'. I went into the bedroom. Then he's come by the bedroom door and he's gripped me and tried to punch me. I've grabbed him, and then I threw him then.
"I did throw him with some force like, because he'd come back and tried to punch me. I knew the threshold of his anger had raised a lot since Zeus died. I was trapped in there.
"The dog's acting erratic, the XL bully, coming in and out like a rocket, spinning round and spinning back out, erratic like. I was worried for her too like. Every time my dad got angry, she'd retreat to the bathroom and wouldn't come out of there. Obviously, because she was scared.
"I goes away into the bedroom. His anger got even worse, erratic. He was shouting his head off. I felt I needed to get out of there, fast. I knew my dad would use violence, that's why.
"I went and got the dog's lead and went, 'I'm getting out of here'. I know when it's time. As soon as it starts, I usually get straight out and go. I'll have the dog on the lead and get out the way. That's what I tried to do. I get the dog's lead from the bedroom. His behaviour was erratic, banging about, I think throwing things, definitely banging, shouting all kinds, angry.
"I've gone back into the living room to get her on the lead, so I could get out. As I'm doing this, my dad's called me all kinds, shouting all kinds, b*****d this, b*****d. All kinds, stuff like that.
"There was a few objects threw. I've turned round. Before I knew it, a punch has been threw. There's bits of things getting threw. My head's everywhere. I've turned round, I've just grabbed him. There's the kitchen doorway there.
"I've grabbed him like that and, with quite a lot of force, I've just grabbed him, threw him. I've done it to go through the kitchen, but he didn't go that way. His head smashed against the frame like.
"He was on the floor. His head took a nasty bang. That's when he fell to the floor. His head took a bit of a bang off the floor when he went down. My dog's acting erratic, so I've gone to grab my dog and he's grabbed my leg, trying to bite my leg as I was trying to grab my dog.
"It's not the first time he's gone for a bite. I kicked him to the stomach, maybe all over his chest and stomach, I don't know. I done more than one kick. I don't know how many. I'd say a couple, to get him off me like."
Mr Myers put to him: "If you had to try to explain what you did to your dad, what explanation would you give to why you did this? Why did you use the violence you did?"
Sarawanskyj replied: "He's always mentally and physically battered me, throughout my life. Even though I was loyal to my dad, there was not many times when he was being a dad or anything.
"The mental part of it was worse than the physical, in a way. I think I'd rather be battered than what he done to me mentally. What he's done to me every day of my life and everything, it's bound to impact me."
Sarawanskyj said he then helped his dad onto his bed in the living room, cleaned a cut to his ear using a sponge and gave him whisky and cigarettes before taking his dog, Skye, for a walk to Southport town centre.
He said of his dad's condition at this time: "My dad was alive. He was smoking. He could talk. I knew his face was swollen and that. I had no idea he had inside injuries at all like. Otherwise I would have phoned an ambulance, obviously."
Having returned around two hours later at around 6.30pm, he recalled: "I got back from town. I went through the back door. I went through the bedroom. I never seen him. He weren't on the bed. I thought he'd gone out. I don't know. I come in and went, 'where's he gone?'
"I did eventually [find him] after checking the kitchen and bathroom. I went through back to the living room and saw his trainer sticking out of the bed. I noticed his feet were sticking out. He was at the side of his bed, on the floor."
Mr Myers asked whether he "knew what state he was in", to which Sarawanskyj said: "I think he was dead like, he was dead. I was in shock. I was in shock, just sat in the back room.
"It's like I was in a trance and that. I only done something about it when I snapped out of it. I snapped out of it and thought I'd best go and report it. It sounds mad like. It was like I was in some kind of trance or something, where I was somewhere else like, and I've snapped out of it, come out of it. I don't know what I was thinking and that."