Builder Gets Life For Stabbing Couple To Death

A Lithuanian builder who stabbed a couple to death as they slept in their home has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 33 years.

Viktoras Bruzas, 39, earlier pleaded guilty to murdering Patrick and Gillian Kettyle at their detached house in Fetcham, Surrey, in November.

He carried out the murders because he wanted to take revenge on Mr Kettyle, 55, who he blamed for "ruining his life" and for the break-up of his marriage, the Old Bailey heard.

The killings came after he learnt of "flirtations" between his wife and Mr Kettyle, the court was told.

Bruzas arrived at their home - at which he had previously fitted a conservatory - armed with a kitchen knife after midnight on 27 November.

He left six minutes later after stabbing his victims multiple times.

The couple's terrified teenage son - who cannot be identified for legal reasons - hid in his bedroom after being woken by screaming and shouting as his parents were being killed.

When Bruzas came to his door, the boy held the handle to stop him getting in, the court heard.

Bruzas told the son through the closed door: "I have no issue with you, boy, or your mother. It's Patrick, he's ruined my life. I'm not scared of prison."

Prosecutor Alan Kent QC said the attack on Mr Kettyle was "particularly brutal", adding that it was likely he stabbed Mrs Kettyle as she tried to protect her husband.

Bruzas, from Walton-on-Thames, admitted the killings on Wednesday after pleading not guilty at an earlier hearing.

He was caught 18 hours after the attacks in nearby Oxshott.

When he was arrested, he calmly asked police: "How long do you get for murder in this country?"

Sentencing him, Mr Justice Spencer told Bruzas he had carried out the murders "in cold blood".

"You were in the house for just six minutes but in that short time you snuffed out two precious lives and ruined the lives of many more people for ever."

The court heard that in the months before the killings Bruzas made threats against Mr Kettyle and was given a police notice in January last year.

"The reason for the brutal and horrific murders was that the defendant blamed Patrick Kettyle for the break-up of his own marriage", the prosecution said.

"He held Patrick Kettyle responsible for ruining his life. On that evening he left his flat armed with a knife, intending to take the ultimate revenge, and that's what he did."

The family of Mr and Mrs Kettyle issued a statement, describing them as a "wonderful couple who loved each other dearly.

"They were the most fantastic parents - their children feel their loss terribly. It is true to say that the light in our world has been dimmed with their loss."