Garo Jlitakryan, 32, is accused of slaughtering a finnish pensioner with an axe—he says it was survival

A British man is on trial in Finland for hacking a 75-year-old pensioner to death with an axe, claiming he acted in self-defence after a horrifying sexual assault.

Garo Jlitakryan, 32, met the elderly man at a spa in Seinajoki on 29 July 2024. Travelling through Finland on a charity bike ride for Help the Heroes, he said he accepted an invitation to the pensioner’s flat, expecting only food and rest. What happened next, he claims, was a nightmare.

Jlitakryan told a Finnish court that he woke up bound with bandages, unable to move, while the pensioner subjected him to sexual acts. He described the ordeal as “horrible” and said he was trapped, powerless to escape. When the assault ended, his alleged attacker fell asleep beside him, snoring.

Determined to flee, Jlitakryan managed to free himself by cutting through the restraints in the kitchen. But he says his nightmare wasn’t over. According to his testimony, the pensioner woke up and stood in the doorway, blocking the only exit—an axe in his hand. Jlitakryan claims the man taunted him, saying no one would believe his story.

With nowhere to run, the Brit says he had no choice but to fight back. He wrestled the weapon away and struck the pensioner twice. “The first blow wasn’t meant to kill him,” Jlitakryan later told police. “I slipped, and the axe slipped from my hand.” However, prosecutors argue the attack was far more brutal, insisting the elderly man was hit up to six times.

For weeks, Jlitakryan remained on the run. He abandoned the pensioner’s car in a ditch before vanishing into Finland’s vast countryside. He was finally caught on 17 August, nearly 300 miles away, working at a husky farm.

The pensioner’s daughter, who hadn’t heard from her father in days, raised the alarm. When police arrived at the flat, they found the gruesome crime scene. The daughter testified in court, saying she did not believe her father was capable of attacking anyone, citing his frail health.

Now, Jlitakryan faces at least ten years in prison if convicted. His defence hinges on proving that he acted purely in self-defence, but prosecutors paint a far darker picture. As the trial unfolds, the court must decide—was this a desperate fight for survival or a cold-blooded killing?