Daniel Micska: Barnsley dad's life was 'snuffed out' by love rival consumed by 'petty, immature jealousy'

A Barnsley man ‘snuffed out’ the life of a dad-of-two during an 11-second knife attack which was borne out of ‘immature, petty jealousy’. 

That was the conclusion reached by Judge Graham Reeds KC as he sent murderer Daniel Balazs to begin a life sentence at the age of just 21-years-old. 

Sheffield Crown Court heard how Daniel Micska’s hopeful new life in Britain was snatched away from him on August 9, 2023, when he was fatally stabbed by Balazs during a short-lived, but violent, confrontation on Newton Street, Barnsley at around 9pm.

Balazs sought to deny responsibility for Daniel’s murder, when he entered a not guilty plea; but it took a Sheffield Crown Court jury just 50 minutes of deliberation yesterday (February 12, 2024) to find him guilty of the shocking crime. 

Sentencing Balazs during a hearing held this morning (February 13, 2024), Judge Reeds told him: “When his family remember Daniel, and all his qualities, the heartbreak for them is that you took all of that away because of your immature, petty jealousy.”

Judge Reeds continued: “I am sure you armed yourself in advance of going out to look for Daniel Miscka to confront him over his relationship with your ex-partner and through her, his relationship with your young son. 

“I am also sure that if you found him you were intent on teaching him a lesson - as you saw it - and had your knife as a back-up. I do not find that you planned to kill him but, in the course of a violent confrontation with him that lasted no more than 11 seconds, that is precisely what you did.

“The consequences of your actions with that knife in that 11 second period are that you snuffed out the life of another young man and, in the process ruined the lives of the people that were close to him, and indeed your own life for you are now to be sentenced to life imprisonment at the age of 21.”

An emotional statement from Daniel’s brother, which was read out in court, detailed how Daniel - who he described as being ‘respectful’ and ‘friendly’ - had endured a difficult start to life in his native Hungary, before being fostered. 

He described how he and Daniel, who also used the surname ‘Varadi’ both came to the UK in 2013 and 2014, respectively, in search of a better life; and Daniel had taken every opportunity to improve his situation and provide for his two young children back in Hungary, whom ‘he loved dearly’.  

The brothers lived together, and 28-year-old Daniel is believed to have been on his way to the gym when the fatal attack occurred. 

After carrying out the fatal stabbing, Balazs initially went ‘on the run’ and fled to London, but voluntarily handed himself into police in the capital less than 24 hours later. 

Balazs, of Heelis Street, Barnsley also pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing a bladed article prior to the beginning of his six-day trial. 

Defending, Richard Thyne KC told Judge Reeds that the court ‘cannot be sure that Balazs intended to kill,’ and as such, it should be regarded as a mitigating factor. 

Mr Thyne said Balazs has limited English, and as such, his time in custody on remand ‘has been difficult,’ and is likely to continue being difficult as he serves his life sentence. 

Balazs, however, has ‘expressed an intention’ to use his 'time in custody constructively,' continued Mr Thyne.

Judge Reeds fixed the minimum term of Balazs’ life sentence at 20 years, minus the 185 days he has spent on remand. 

After both prosecution and defence counsel agreed that the starting point of Balazs’ sentence should be 25 years, Judge Reeds told the court he set his minimum term at two decades, after concluding he was ‘less than sure’ that Balazs intended to kill Daniel; and taking factors including his young age, lack of previous convictions and ‘obvious immaturity’ into consideration. 

Judge Reeds told Balazs: “Young men who carry knives are likely to use them to cause death or serious injury where their bravado, immaturity and temper gets the better of them in any fast moving and violent confrontation. So it was in this case.”