Ernestas Juska

On the morning of 17 August 2024, Ernestas Juska, a 21-year-old man from Dartford, approached a member of the public on Wordsworth Way and instructed them to call the police, confessing that he had killed someone. He was promptly arrested by attending officers at a nearby bus stop and directed them to his home on Henderson Drive, where the 39-year-old victim, a family friend who had been staying overnight, was discovered deceased on a bed, having sustained multiple catastrophic stab wounds inflicted while she slept.

Juska admitted to the police that the attack stemmed from a desire to 'lash out' at someone not particularly close to him. He revealed that in the evening prior to the incident, he had been drinking alcohol and consuming cocaine. At approximately 6:40am, he selected a large kitchen knife, ascended the stairs, entered the bedroom, and carried out the savage assault on the defenceless victim. Following the murder, Juska committed a further sexual offence by abusing her body, for which he was charged with murder and a sexual offence against a deceased female.

Juska pleaded guilty to the charges at Maidstone Crown Court. On 28 November 2025, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 24 years and seven months before being eligible for parole. Justice Dexter Dias KC described Juska as a 'deeply disturbed individual' responsible for an 'extreme explosion of sexual and sadistic conduct', adding that 'there may never become a time where it is safe to release you'. The sentencing followed a thorough investigation by Kent Police, who highlighted the brutality of the act.

Detective Sergeant Max Gregory of Kent Police stated: 'Juska was responsible for an act of shocking and senseless brutality, seemingly without reason or any hint of remorse. He targeted a helpless victim as she slept and inflicted multiple injuries during a sustained and savage attack. The fact that he went on to commit further appalling acts after her death shows a level of depravity which defies belief. Juska's actions have devastated a family and taken away a much-loved daughter and sister. We are only relieved that he has now been jailed for life and can no longer pose a threat to anyone.'

The case, reported by This Is Local London and sourced from Kent Police, underscores the tragic loss of life and the profound impact on the victim's family in the Dartford community.