The trial of a former policeman who, together with another officer, was driving teenage girls in a police car in Dawidy Bankowe and caused an accident is underway. The court heard the victims of the incident. One of the women spoke about the ambiguous and vulgar jokes of a policeman who is accused of exceeding his powers and failing to fulfill his official duties by failing to help the injured.
On Thursday, the District Court in Pruszków read the explanations provided by the former officer during the disciplinary proceedings and questioned both injured women.
Today a retired policeman at the beginning of 2023, he caused an accident in Dawidy Bankowe. As a result, the police car he was driving was damaged and the then teenage passengers were injured. The injured women, who act as subsidiary prosecutors, were heard by the court on Thursday.
Recalling the events of January 2, 2023, both women agreed: with a group of friends they went for an evening car ride, during which young people noticed a fire on the property they passed. At first they tried to put it out themselves using car fire extinguishers, then they called the fire brigade. When she finished her action, a police patrol from the Pruszków police station appeared on site – the accused Janusz R. and the second officer, against whom in October 2023 the proceedings were discontinued at the request of the prosecutor.
He allegedly offered to “show them the rooster”
– We wanted to do a good deed, but it ended tragically for us – said Iga Delega, one of the two injured parties, speaking to the defendant's defense attorney.
According to her, the conversation with the officers was accompanied by jokes, some of which were crude. Janusz R. in particular was said to have spoken in an ambiguous manner and was also more vulgar than his colleague. Approaching the youth, he allegedly asked: “Who the f… set it on fire?”, he suggested to the young women that he would “show them the rooster”, asked if one of them had a reflective triangle in her car – and the young people also they sensed erotic overtones, and when asked if they had any psychoactive substances on them, he added that “you'll have to get it private.”
As Delega testified, after identifying the youth and talking, the police got into the police car, turned around, and then Janusz R. opened the window and asked Delega's friend – who, in her opinion, was the most active in the entire group in the earlier conversation – to get into the police car. Both women took it seriously. They got into the car – as they said – voluntarily, although they did not know for what purpose.
An investigation was initiated into the accident of a police car with teenagers in Dawidy Bankowetvn24
He accelerated and hit a tree
After about two or three minutes of driving, the driver, Janusz R., entered a bend at excessive speed, which resulted in a head-on collision with a tree. The women who were not wearing seat belts suffered injuries: Iga Delega had a broken nose and concussion, her friend – a broken arm.
After leaving the police car, the girls sat on the curb right next to the car. The junior officer shined a flashlight into their eyes – as they jointly testified, it was the only way he checked their health. Elder Janusz R. shouted to – as Delega testified – “f*** off”, which the women took as an order to leave the scene of the incident.
The accused pleaded not guilty to the acts he was charged with. So far he has refused to provide explanations. On Thursday, he agreed to submit them, but at a later date. Therefore, Judge Justyna Kokoszka read out his explanations from the disciplinary proceedings.
Why were the teenagers in the police car?
As Janusz R. stated in them, “the people who got into the police car had something important to say in connection with the intervention”, but they did not want to say it in front of their friends. In his opinion, on this basis both women could have been in the police car.
R. explained that he braked suddenly because of “a shadow, as if an animal had jumped onto the road” and the car skidded. Trying to avoid a pile of sand, the policeman hit a tree he had not noticed before. He stated that he did not drive faster than 60-70 km/h, and this speed was adapted to the prevailing weather and road conditions.
The accused was to order first aid and call for help from his friend. Explaining the words he used to tell the injured people to leave, he said: – I don't remember exactly what words I used, but I wanted them to get away from the car because I was afraid that the car might catch fire and there might be an explosion.
The second policeman will testify as a witness
The next hearing was scheduled for November 28. The court then planned to hear the second officer as a witness.
The defendant's defender, lawyer Katarzyna Leder Salgueiro, drew attention to the discrepancies in the victims' testimonies – immediately after the incident and later during the proceedings.
– These discrepancies are crucial for assuming criminal liability for failure to provide assistance. There are great doubts as to where the accused was after the accident, what his mental and health condition was and whether he was aware that the injured party had suffered any injuries, and consequently whether we can talk about conscious failure to fulfill his official duties – said attorney Leder Salgueiro.
The representative of one of the victims, lawyer Roman Giertych, said that the women were “shocked by the brazenness of the accused's lies.” – The case is very socially outrageous, because – as my client told me – they perceived being forced to get into a police car as a kind of sexual oppression – noted the attorney. He noted that although nothing like that happened, both women remained afraid “of the uniform” – especially since it was not known what the purpose of the police car ride was.
The policeman who drove the police car retired. In the trial before the Pruszków court, he is accused of exceeding his powers and failing to fulfill his official duties by failing to help teenagers injured in an accident. He faces three years in prison.
Main photo source: tvn24