Dangerous offender previously jailed for assaulting homeless man, now guilty of his murder, over 10 years later

A man who was previously jailed for grievous bodily harm in 2013 has pleaded guilty to murder after the man died as a result of the original injuries inflicted on him, over 10 years later – following a successful prosecution by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Anthony Ellis, now 36, assaulted a homeless man in Whitworth Park, South Manchester on 11 September 2012 in an attack that horrified the community at the time.

41-year-old Igor Pavlov was left with severe life-altering injuries, including a number of skull fractures and brain injuries.

On 17 June 2013, Ellis pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mr Pavlov and on 2 August 2013, he was jailed for 12 years and six months.

On 6 July 2023, Mr Pavlov died as a result of the original injuries caused by Ellis in the 2012 attack – and the Crown Prosecution Service was determined that Ellis should face justice for the consequences of his actions.

Frances Birch, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: “The final, devastating consequences of Anthony Ellis’ brutal attack on Igor Pavlov came more than a decade after the event – but the Crown Prosecution Service was determined to bring Ellis to book for murder all the same.

“The strength of the evidence, including medical evidence around the cause of Mr Pavlov’s death, meant Ellis had no option but to admit murdering Mr Pavlov.

“Ellis now faces a lengthy prison sentence for his senseless act of violence, which has ultimately robbed a man of his life.

“Our thoughts remain with those who knew and cared for Mr Pavlov.”

Building the case – The decision to charge murder

In order to charge murder, the prosecution must prove that the death was as a result of an unlawful act and that the suspect intended to inflict at least serious harm.

Ellis’s had caused catastrophic injuries to Mr Pavlov, and he had already accepted intent to cause grievous bodily harm through his guilty plea to the assault in 2013.

Legally, it wasn’t necessary to prove that Ellis’s unlawful actions were the sole cause of death but that his actions significantly contributed to Mr Pavlov’s death. With a 12-year gap between the assault and Mr Pavlov’s death, we needed expert evidence to prove the link between the violent assault in 2012 and Mr Pavlov’s death in 2023.

Following Mr Pavlov’s death, a postmortem was sought to ascertain the cause of his death. That confirmed that Mr Pavlov died of Bronchopneumonia, NeurodIsability and the blunt force head injury from the assault in 2012.

Having considered the postmortem report, the CPS lawyer was able to prove that the assault in 2012 was a substantial and operating factor in Mr Pavlov’s death.

Determined to achieve justice for Mr Pavlov’s death, the CPS then worked with greater Manchester police to build a case for murder.

The strength of the causation evidence provided by the pathologist meant that Ellis had little option but to plead guilty to murder.

Facts of the case

On 11 September 2012, Ellis had been at Manchester Royal Infirmary with his family visiting a relative.

It is clear that there was a family argument which led to Ellis storming out of the hospital.

From there, he went to Whitworth Park, where he came across Mr Pavlov.

We may never know what led to the vicious assault that followed but Ellis beat Mr Pavlov with a linear object, thought to be a tree branch.

The blows were forceful and sufficient to cause Mr Pavlov severe physical and neurological injuries from which he never recovered.

Sometime later, Ellis returned to the park and called for an ambulance. He claimed he had come across Mr Pavlov in an injured state.

Ellis guided the ambulance to the correct location and even carried out first aid. When police arrived, he told them the same account.

Once CCTV was recovered and Ellis’s clothes were examined, it became clear that his version of events could not be true.

Ellis was re-arrested on 2 January 2013, during his police interview, he maintained his first account and said he had not attacked Mr Pavlov.

He pleaded guilty on day one of his trial, on 17 June 2013 and was sentenced on 2 August 2013 to twelve years and six months after being found to be a dangerous offender.

On 6 July 2023, Mr Pavlov, then 52, sadly died. His cause of death was largely due to the injuries sustained in the assault in 2012.

Ellis, who was still serving his sentence for grievous bodily harm, was charged with murder on 21 January 2025.

On 14 August 2025, Ellis pleaded guilty to murdering Igor Pavlov at Manchester Crown Court. He will be sentenced on 27 August 2025.