“A shocking picture of long-term domestic violence” – this is what the doctors who were the first to help her say about what happened to the five-year-old girl from Gniezno. The girl had to be carried around the hospital because she couldn't walk due to the pain. According to the prosecutor's office, the child was abused by her stepfather. He was drunk at the time of his arrest. He was taken into custody.
The prosecutor's office requested the arrest, and the court found it justified today, pointing out that there is a risk that the man could commit similar acts again if he were free. Prosecutor's Office accuses the 39-year-old of physical and mental abuse of his partner's 5-year-old daughter. The man faces a severe penalty – 8 years' imprisonment.
For now, the 39-year-old will definitely spend the next three months behind bars.
The charges are the same, the means are completely different
Investigators investigated the suspects on Thursday. First, a 35-year-old woman was brought to the District Prosecutor's Office in Gniezno, then a 39-year-old woman. They both faced the same charges, although, as the prosecutor explains, their actions were different.
– The charge concerns physical and mental abuse of the girl at least from November 4, 2023 to January 21, 2025. The abuse consisted of using physical violence by hitting the girl all over the body with the hand and fist, as well as with a wooden handle and a belt on the bare buttocks. All these behaviors were undertaken by the detained man, but they were approved and accepted by the mother, said Małgorzata Rezulak-Kustosz, head of the District Prosecutor's Office in Gniezno.
“Suspects generally do not confess.”
According to preliminary findings by investigators, the five-year-old's drama began when the couple's first child together was born. Then my stepfather's behavior would change.
– Suspects generally do not confess to the crimes they are accused of. The man only admitted to hitting the minor victim in the face several times and that when she did not want to eat (…) and spit out food, he took her to the shower to wash off the spit-out food. However, in the remaining respects, he actually denies engaging in the behavior described in the charge, said the prosecutor.
She added that the girl's mother “presents the course of events in such a way that it was her partner who engaged in these negative behaviors, which she opposed, but unfortunately he did not listen to her requests and protests.”
Both face up to 8 years in prison.
The 39-year-old was brought in for questioning on ThursdayTVN24
No arrest for the mother
Preventive measures were taken against the 35-year-old. The woman is prohibited from approaching her daughter. She still has a one-year-old child and one-month-old twins under her care. The social worker's observations show that the children are well cared for and there is no indication that violence was used against them.
According to the decision of the family court, the 39-year-old is prohibited from contacting children. In turn, the mother was assigned a guardian. Since January 23, the family has also been under the care of a family assistant and a social worker.
She apologized to the staff for going to the hospital
The police received a call on January 21 in the evening. The perpetrator himself called the emergency number. He told the operator that he wanted to report a child being beaten and that he was responsible for it.
When the officers arrived at the apartment, they found a 39-year-old man, his 35-year-old partner, a five-year-old girl, a one-year-old child and one-month-old twins. The man was drunk. A breathalyzer test showed that he had 1.6 per mille of alcohol in his exhaled air.
– The girl was sitting in a chair in the corner. The police noticed that she was the only one with signs of abuse, and that she had been abused for a long time. The policewoman dressed the girl and took her to an ambulance. Then she accompanied her to the hospital. She carried her there in her arms because the girl couldn't walk due to the pain, Anna Osińska, spokeswoman for the Gniezno police, told TVN24.
The five-year-old was first transported to the hospital in Gniezno. – I talked to both the psychologist and the medical team who undertook this intervention, as well as the doctor who provided assistance in our emergency department. This paints a shocking picture of long-term domestic violence. This child in our ward apologized to the staff for being here and promised that he would be good and eat. This proves that this child had a long-term sense of guilt towards his family, said Mateusz Hen, medical director at the Monument to the Baptism of Poland Hospital in Gniezno.
“A shocking picture of domestic violence.” Stepfather and mother facing chargesRenata Kijowska/Fakty TVN
It was during a conversation with one of the paramedics that the girl allegedly said that her stepfather forced her, among other things, to: to eat paper.
Currently, the girl is staying at the Clinical Hospital. Karol Jonscher in Poznań. – The child was in a serious condition, but probably due to his mental condition and numerous injuries. He is currently in the ward, his condition is stable – said Dr. Paweł Wawrzaszek from the Clinical Hospital. Karol Jonscher Medical University. K. Marcinkowski in Poznań.
According to the prosecutor's office and the Municipal Social Welfare Center, the family did not use social assistance. So far, there have been no interventions by the services.
Main photo source: TVN24