Płock. Attack on the guard. The main perpetrators were not identified, the court sentenced the assistants

The trial regarding the attack on a guard that took place three years ago in Płock has ended. On Tuesday, the court sentenced 48-year-old Andrzej J. to 4 years and 3 months in prison, and 59-year-old Wojciech W. to 4 years. The court found that both of them helped “unidentified persons” commit the crime.

The attack on the guard and the theft of over PLN 2.8 million occurred in December 2021 at a DPD facility on the outskirts of Płock. The trial in this case, in which 48-year-old Andrzej J. and 59-year-old Wojciech W. were the defendants, began before the Płock district court in December 2023. On Tuesday, a non-final judgment was passed in the case.

Andrzej J., who, in addition to stealing money transported by the escort, was responsible for possessing a firearm cartridge without a permit, the court imposed a total penalty of four years and three months of imprisonment. Wojciech W., accused of buying two cars that were used to commit a crime, was sentenced to four years in prison.

– All circumstances indicate that the defendants helped and made it easier for the main perpetrators to commit the crime of robbery – said judge Ewa Zaidler-Ochocka, justifying the sentence. She pointed out that the main perpetrators of the attack had not yet been identified.

Circumstantial evidence

Judge Zaidler-Ochocka admitted that the trial of Andrzej J. and Wojciech W. was circumstantial in nature. At the same time, she assessed that the evidence collected in the case, such as monitoring records and telephone calls, undoubtedly indicated that both defendants assisted in the attack.

She emphasized that the defendants' actions were extremely socially harmful and the value of the stolen property was significant. She also pointed out that the attack was very carefully prepared by the unidentified main perpetrators.

The prosecutor demanded eight years and six months of imprisonment for Andrzej J. and four years for Wojciech W. During the earlier closing arguments, he emphasized that both defendants took part in the robbery as part of the division of roles, cooperating with unknown persons. The defense lawyers, in turn, asked for acquittal. They pointed out the lack of clear evidence in the case.

After the verdict was announced on Tuesday, Andrzej J. and Wojciech W. did not want to comment on the court's decision. During the trial, they responded freely. They pleaded not guilty.

Attack on a guard in Płock

The investigation was conducted and the indictment was prepared by the District Prosecutor's Office in Płock. She established, among other things, that after the attack on the guard, who was incapacitated with gas and a stun gun, the attackers drove away from the scene of the crime in a Renault Kangoo delivery van with the stolen amount of over PLN 2.8 million, and abandoned the car a few streets away and set it on fire.

Two suspects were arrested in March 2022.

During the investigation, Andrzej J. claimed that he was in Spain at the time of the attack and that the money found under the floor of the house on his plot was PLN 430,000. PLN – he hid it there from his wife. They came – he said – from, among others, from his parents. Referring to the bands of stolen banknotes that were also found on his property, he suggested that other people could have had access to the plot.

Andrzej J. assessed the charge of assault and robbery as absurd. He argued that he ran a business and was the president of several companies, including abroad. He confirmed all these explanations, including those regarding his 30-year relationship with Wojciech W., in court when the trial began.

Then Wojciech W. explained that he only admitted to bringing the cars to Płock – a Renault Laguna from Warsaw and a Renault Kangoo from Piotrków Kujawski. He noted that he was not aware at the time that they would be used for the attack. He said he predicted that both cars could be used to “transport cigarettes.” He explained that he purchased the cars on behalf of and for the money of two Ukrainian citizens, whose names he does not remember.

It was supposed to be compensation for an unpaid debt, and the reason was also the fear that the refusal might be dangerous for him and his family. Wojciech W. also claimed that he later received PLN 30,000 or PLN 40,000 from the same Ukrainian citizens for a “very well-performed task” – importing cars. PLN with banners. According to him, it was also an amount for “arranging something – something was illegal there.”

Wojciech W. maintained that the banknote bands found on Andrzej J.'s property did not come from stolen cash. At the beginning of the trial, he explained that for some time he lived in a house on Andrzej J.'s plot and there he tried to burn the banknote bands he received from Ukrainian citizens. When making such explanations, Wojciech W. repeatedly emphasized that he had been an alcoholic for years. At the same time, he assured the court that he was testifying the truth.

The verdict announced on Tuesday may be appealed to the district court.