The case of harassment by Mirosław Skrzypczyński came to light in 2022 after Onet's publications. The District Prosecutor's Office in Szczecin decided to initiate an investigation, considering the articles to be public information. In the case of the investigation into the molestation of Katarzyna Kotula, the investigators had no doubts.
The former president of the Polish association molested a teenage player
– At some point, during training, Skrzypczyński started looking for opportunities for physical contact: he touched and rubbed each other. And after training, often individual, under the pretext of carrying equipment or having to talk about mistakes made on the court, he started “inviting” selected players, including me, to the office. The office was sometimes the girls' locker room, sometimes the coach's office, and sometimes a place to store equipment. These were always one-on-one meetings. He locked the door from the inside and hurt us. Mirosław Skrzypczyński sexually assaulted me at least a dozen times over the course of three years – Kotula told Onet two years ago.
The prosecutor's office investigation lasted a year and a half. We finally got his results. Investigators clearly stated that Skrzypczyński is guilty of molesting the current Minister for Equality. But the former president of the PZT will not be charged. The investigation was discontinued due to the statute of limitations in the case in 2002. The prosecutor's justification presents terrifying and drastic details of the case.
“The findings based on the injured party's account actually indicate that the behavior that Mirosław Skrzypczyński allegedly committed against her was directed against sexual freedom at a time when Katarzyna Kotula, born on February 1, 1977, was under 15 years old and after that date, as evidenced by the entry in her diary of March 13, 1992. The evidence collected in this case did not provide grounds for stating that the described events occurred as a result of the use of violence understood as the physical overcoming of the victim's resistance and that they resulted in sexual intercourse between the victim and the perpetrator. There was a specific master-disciple relationship between the victim and the perpetrator, which justified the victim's trust in the trainer – an authority figure. “- we read.
The prosecutor's office indicated that Skrzypczyński could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison for the crimes committed. If the provisions of the Penal Code from over 30 years ago had been applied, he would have received a maximum sentence of ten years in prison. At that time, harassment was classified as a “lewd act.”
Kotula commented on the results of the prosecutor's investigation at the request of Onet. – It is worth fighting for truth and justice, even if it comes after many years, when it is too late to hold the perpetrator criminally responsible. I hope that this case will give strength and courage to all those who, as before, are ashamed to talk about what happened to them. My case has expired, but I know there are others: women and girls, men and boys who have experienced sexual harassment and never told anyone about it. It's high time for victims to stop being afraid and ashamed. So that this feeling finally reaches the perpetrators and they are responsible for their actions, said the minister.
The prosecutor's office also checked whether Skrzypczyński molested players in Promień Opalenica in 1996 and Nafta Zielona Góra in 2006. In both cases, the investigation was discontinued due to “lack of data sufficient to justify the suspicion of committing an act.” Moreover, both cases have also expired.
On November 24, 2022, Mirosław Skrzypczyński resigned from the position of president of PZT with immediate effect.