Jerzmanice-Zdrój. Beaten boy in hospital, teacher facing charges. The case is supervised by the Ministry of Justice

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One of the residents of the center in Jerzmanice-Zdrój was hospitalized last week. The teenager was saved after he took his own life. Earlier – according to the findings of the Ministry of Justice – he was beaten by one of his teachers.

The boy is staying in hospital in Legnica. He is in a medically induced coma.

On Tuesday, Deputy Minister of Justice Maria Ejchart appeared at the center and took over direct supervision of the case. -I am shocked by our findings and the tragedy that happened. The boy is fighting for his life. I talked to the rest of the pupils who are concerned and now the most important thing for me is to ensure their safety and make them feel safe, she said during a press briefing. – The whole matter, as well as the functioning of the center, are now being thoroughly checked by experts from the ministry. Our work in recent days has yielded important findings that I hope will help the prosecutor's office in its investigation, she added.

She said that the teacher had been suspended and had already been charged. – We also decided to suspend the director of this facility. His duties are currently performed by another employee of the facility, said Ejchart.

The case was reported to the District Prosecutor's Office in Złotoryja.

As the deputy minister emphasized, a “team of psychologists who constantly work with the boys on site” was sent from another facility. The ministry also delegated a special inspector to the center, whose task is to directly supervise the current situation and monitor actions taken to improve conditions and safety in the center.

Ejchart assured that “all information that was identified during the work of the inspector, who has been on site from the very beginning, is forwarded to the prosecutor's office on an ongoing basis.”

– I have also planned a special meeting with the management of all District Educational Centers to draw conclusions based on the incident and do everything to prevent similar situations – emphasized Minister Ejchart.

– Right now, the most important thing is the safety and peace of the boys staying here, who in a sense witnessed this event – she added.

The spokeswoman of the District Prosecutor's Office, Prosecutor Lilianna Łukasiewicz, said that the suspect, Jacek T., was charged with abusing a minor who was in a dependent relationship with the educator. She explained that the suspect's actions caused the minor to attempt suicide. – This carries a severe penalty of two to 15 years in prison, because the case concerns a minor – she added. – The abuse included beating on the head, kicking and pulling. This happened several times during that day. The prosecutor classified it as abuse that led the minor to take his own life, the prosecutor said. She added that the suspect gave explanations, but did not admit to committing the act. The district prosecutor in Złotoryja, Anna Chomiczewska, added that one of the pieces of evidence in the case is a surveillance video recording the suspect's behavior towards the student. 60-year-old Jacek T. was a long-time employee and educator at the facility.

– A request to the court for three months of pre-trial detention was submitted to the suspect. The application is to be considered on Thursday, added prosecutor Chomiczewska.