‘Madman’ jailed after vicious attack on homeless man

“He was in a desperately sad state at the end of his life and had no quality of life at all”Anthony Ellis

A thug has been jailed for life after viciously beating a homeless man with a tree branch, leading him to suffer for over 12 years with severe brain injuries before sadly passing away.

Anthony Ellis, was 23 when he assaulted Igor Pavlov, who was homeless, in Whitworth Park which lies in the heart of Manchester city centre, on September 11, 2012.

The 41-year-old Mr Pavlov was struck at least five times with a heavy branch and suffered a fracture to the skull and a severe brain injury which left him needing round-the-clock care.

Ellis then called 999 saying he had found the injured man, and pretended to be a Good Samaritan.

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He later pleaded guilty to causing wounding with intent in 2013 and was jailed for 12-and-a-half years.

Sadly, in July 2023, Mr Pavlov died as a result of his injuries, and Ellis, now 36, pleaded guilty to his murder.

Today, August 27, Ellis was jailed for life.

Rob Hall, prosecuting, said that Mr Pavlov, an Estonian national, came to the UK in 2008 following a marriage breakdown. He became addicted to alcohol and ended up homeless.

“He was described by others as an intelligent, kind, honest and likeable man,” the prosecutor said.

In April 2012 he was admitted to hospital with a life-threatening brain injury. As a result he had a plate fitted into his skull, his speech and reactions became slower and he seemed more ‘wary and withdrawn’.

On September 11, 2012, Mr Pavlov was seen in Whitworth Park under the influence of alcohol and sleeping on a park bench. By 6pm that day he was sitting on the bench chatting with friends, who described him as ‘heavily drunk’ at the time.

Whitworth Park, Manchester(Image: Manchester Evening News)

As his friends went to leave, he said he would have another sleep on the bench before he was left alone and uninjured between 6.30pm and 7pm.

At the same time, Ellis was visiting a relative in the Manchester Royal Infirmary.

“His manner was described as ‘funny, agitated and excitable’, and even his grandmother told him to ‘bloody behave’,” said Mr Hall.

“This seemed to inflame the situation and he stormed out of the ward. His heightened state was a significant contributing factor to him losing his temper.”

Ellis was then captured on CCTV entering the park before attacking Mr Pavlov with a weapon, believed to be a tree branch.

The defendant suggested that there had been an argument after Ellis had asked Mr Pavlov for a cigarette. He then claimed that Mr Pavlov threw a plastic bottle at him before Ellis picked up the branch and assaulted him.

His mum had previously described him as a ‘madman’ if he didn’t get a cigarette, the court heard.

A passerby later noticed Mr Pavlov lay in a foetal position on the ground with Ellis standing over him.

Call records showed that Ellis’ mum had called him before he deleted his call history and called the emergency services. He claimed he had been walking past when he happened upon Mr Pavlov and helped to guide the ambulance to the scene.

Mr Pavlov was left with a severe brain injury and appeared to show no understanding or insight into his own state. He was dependent on others, was at risk of sudden seizures and was likely to remain in that state for the rest of his life.

He was later moved from hospital to a care home for adults with complex needs. Whilst there he was unable to communicate properly though staff found him ‘friendly’.

(Image: MEN Media)

In a statement, nurse Gemma Curly said over the years she had looked after him, she saw him deteriorate.

She said they had to puree his food and medication and said it was ‘really sad’ because he liked to eat.

“Towards the end, Igor refused to listen to anyone. I think he was just fed up with his life, and became very frustrated, he couldn’t drink without help,” she said.

“He also had an abscess in his jaw which made him miserable. In the end, I think he just wanted to die. We tried to make his life as enjoyable as possible, but I don’t think he had any strength or will to fight.”

Ellis was said to have been admitted to hospital when he was eight-years-old as an inpatient for five months under the child psychiatric unit due to a history of ‘opposing and disruptive behaviour’ in which he had shown aggression towards his younger brother.

After he was discharged he was put back into a mainstream school and the care of his family, it was said. He had also been diagnosed with learning difficulties.

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Defending, Nina Grahame KC said there was a lack of premeditation and suggested that there was ‘some degree of provocation’ whilst Ellis was in a heightened emotional state.

She urged the court to consider his difficult background and his diagnoses of learning difficulties, dyslexia and cognitive functioning issues.

“There was violence in the home, and he was left with childhood trauma,” she said.

Sentencing, Judge Suzanne Goddard KC said: “He must have suffered horrendously before his death. He was left severely disabled receiving round the clock care, he was bed bound and doubly incontinent.

“He was in a desperately sad state at the end of his life and had no quality of life at all.

“This was a very vicious repeated assault on somebody’s head.”

Ellis, of no fixed abode, was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 15 years. His time served in prison, namely 12 years and six months, will be deducted from the minimum term, meaning he will serve the remaining two-and-a-half years before being considered safe to be released into the community by the Parole Board.