Mother and stepfather convicted of abuse of 5-year-old girl in Gniezno – prison sentences
The District Court in Poznań has issued final verdicts convicting Robert S. to 7 years in prison and Karolina P. to 4 years and 2 months for abuse of their 5-year-old daughter.
Final verdicts for abuse of 5-year-old girl in Gniezno
The District Court in Poznań issued final verdicts on Wednesday convicting the mother and stepfather of a five-year-old girl. According to RMF24, Robert S. will serve 7 years in prison, and Karolina P. will serve 4 years and 2 months – both for abuse of the child.
The sentence for the stepfather remains the same as that handed down at the end of December 2025 by the District Court in Gniezno. The District Court, however, reduced the mother's sentence by one year compared to the earlier verdict. The ruling is final.
Judge Hanna Bartkowiak recalled in her oral ruling that "the girl was a victim of abuse for a long time, and the accused could not control his emotions around her and vented aggression on her". Robert S.'s criminal behaviour towards the child lasted at least from the end of 2023 until nearly the end of January 2025, when the girl was admitted to hospital. All incidents covered by the indictment occurred in Gniezno.
The court found that the accused, amongst other things, shouted at the child, hit her – including with a gas hose and an open hand to the face – ordered her to stand motionless against the wall or sit in one place, took away toys and forbade play, and also made threats to throw the girl out of the flat.
The District Court rejected appeals by the defendants' lawyers, who argued that the criminal behaviour occurred only briefly before the accused were detained. In its reasoning, the court relied, amongst other things, on the content of SMS messages exchanged between Robert S. and Karolina P., as well as other evidence gathered.
Judge Bartkowiak emphasised that "the accumulation of circumstances incriminating the accused is indisputable", and the number of violations of parental duties is "simply overwhelming". She also noted that "in the behaviour constituting punishment, there were none, absolutely none of the educational elements. It was simply evil".
In her summary, the judge recalled that Robert S. called the police two days after beating the child and stated that the girl "got what she deserved". Karolina P. used analogous words in response to one of the punishments inflicted on her daughter.
The girl is currently in foster care. The court imposed restraining orders and contact bans on both the convicted individuals with regard to the child.
Source: RMF24