A man who attacked a man in his own home before leaving him to die in a fire has been jailed for murder.

Mark Vaskouski, 28, was found guilty of murdering Anthony Ibbitson at his apartment on Terry Street in Hull in November 2023.

Hull Crown Court heard a candle was knocked over during the “sustained and brutal beating” of Mr Ibbitson, 54, setting fire to a bedroom.

Passing sentence, Judge John Thackray KC said Vaskouski had “allowed the deceased to perish in a fire which you surely knew had started before you left”.

“You left the scene knowing that a fire had broken out and you did nothing to call for help,” added the judge.

Audio of the attack was captured by a CCTV camera located at the rear of the property.

The court heard the defendant went to the apartment in an attempt to obtain cannabis.

An argument broke out and Vaskouski attacked Mr Ibbitson, punching and kicking him, causing multiple injuries and strangling him, causing broken bones to his neck.

Judge Thackray said the assault rendered him unconscious and “prevented him from fleeing the fire”.

He died in hospital two days later from smoke inhalation and burns.

After the attack, Vaskouski attempted to cover up his actions by discarding his blood-stained clothes and attempting to destroy a CCTV camera near his home.

The judge rejected the defendant’s claims of self-defence, saying Mr Ibbitson was “no match for you physically”, adding “it is clear you were the aggressor from start to finish”.

In a victim impact statement, Mr Ibbitson’s brother Mark described his killer as “an evil coward”.

“Because you did not admit your guilt, we had to listen to your web of lies,” he said.

“We also had to listen to Tony get beaten to death in his own apartment.”

Vaskouski, of Stroud Crescent, Hull, was sent to prison for life with a minimum term of 20 years.

The Belarusian national will be deported at the end of his sentence.

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