Court refuses conditional release to convict in "skin hunters" scandal from Łódź
The Regional Court in Łódź rejected Karol B.'s application for conditional early release. He has more than 2 years and 7 months of his sentence remaining to serve.
Karol B. will not be released – court rejects application for early release
The Regional Court in Łódź rejected Karol B.'s application for conditional early release on Wednesday – according to RMF24. The prosecutor opposed it, and Judge Anna Małecka of the Penitentiary Division concluded that the objectives of the sentence had not yet been achieved.
Karol B. is currently at liberty because the Regional Court in Wrocław granted him a six-month break from serving his sentence in May 2026. Formally, he has 2 years, 7 months and 3 days remaining to serve. He has been serving his prison sentence since 1 January 2004.
Lack of remorse over the crime determined the decision
In her reasoning for the ruling, Judge Małecka stated that the convict's behaviour during his time in prison "did not raise major concerns, and the rehabilitation process proceeded properly, although it requires consolidation". At the same time, she emphasised that Karol B. showed no particular engagement in this process and did not stand out in any special way.
The judge noted that the convict worked for wages during his break from serving the sentence and there were no concerns about his conduct. However, she assessed that "a three-month period at liberty is not a sufficient circumstance to establish that he has already developed socially desirable attitudes, including the need to respect the rule of law".
The decisive factor proved to be the lack of critical reflection by the convict regarding his crime. The judge emphasised that Karol B. is serving his sentence for murder motivated by considerations deserving of particular condemnation, and despite already having served a substantial part of his sentence, "he demonstrates a lack of remorse regarding his crime". Therefore, as the judge assessed, it cannot be accepted that he has developed a sense of responsibility for his own actions.
Prosecutor Maria Bauer-Szcześniak supported the court's decision of refusal. In her view, the opinion issued by the prison institution clearly indicates a "lack or insufficient remorse regarding his crime", which excludes the possibility of conditional release.
A crime that shook Poland
The "skin hunters" case concerned employees of an ambulance service in Łódź who traded information about deaths with local funeral homes. The investigation also revealed that some of them may have deliberately killed patients. The scandal was exposed in January 2002 by Gazeta Wyborcza and Radio Łódź, pointing to evidence that patients were administered pavulon – a muscle relaxant drug causing death.
In January 2007, the Regional Court in Łódź convicted former paramedics Andrzej N. and Karol B. of the murder of 5 patients. Doctors Janusz K. and Paweł W. were found guilty of endangering the lives of 14 patients, who subsequently died. All four were also convicted of extorting money from the victims' families and accepting between 30 and 10 thousand złoty from funeral companies in exchange for information about deaths. The court imposed a 10-year ban on practising their professions, forfeiture of ill-gotten gains and compensation for charitable purposes.
In June 2008, the Court of Appeal in Łódź upheld these judgements, rejecting the defence appeals. Three of the four convicted's lawyers filed cassation appeals to the Supreme Court, requesting the judgements be quashed – to no avail. Karol B.'s defence counsel filed for the case to be returned to the court of appeal; the Supreme Court rejected this application in 2009.
In the reasoning for the Supreme Court's judgment were words that made a strong impression on public opinion: "This case shows how profound a person's downfall can be when their moral restraints break down. One of the accused actually boasted about the murder he committed. He said he 'bumped off' a woman who had a rash. (…) the convicted men put a price on human life. And such a low price – a thousand złoty to be divided among four of them".
Second trial and lighter sentences for other ambulance service employees
In July 2008, the Regional Court in Łódź, in separate proceedings concerning the same scandal, sentenced five former ambulance service employees, including three doctors, to sentences ranging from 2 years to 1.5 years imprisonment suspended for 5 years. The court found that all of them assisted in fraud to the detriment of the families of deceased patients and accepted money from funeral establishments. The entire group was sentenced to fines of between 10 and 15 thousand złoty and forfeiture of ill-gotten gains.
The prosecution appealed against this judgement, considering the sentences too lenient. The defence counsel also filed appeals, demanding a retrial.
Source: RMF24