Three Bedzin police officers in court over assault of ill 49-year-old at petrol station
The prosecutor's office has brought charges against three police officers accused of assaulting an ill man at a petrol station in Bedzin. None of them has admitted guilt.
Charges filed over assault at petrol station in Bedzin
According to wiadomosci.gazeta.pl, the prosecutor's office has filed charges with the District Court in Bedzin against three police officers accused of assaulting a 49-year-old man at a petrol station. The incident occurred on 19 October of last year.
Two of the defendants—Dawid J. and Damian G.—will face charges of assaulting the man, as well as unlawfully forcing him by violence and threats to leave the vehicle. The third defendant, Piotr G., has been charged by the prosecutor's office with aiding and abetting the assault on the 49-year-old.
All three officers denied wrongdoing during the investigation. They have been suspended from duty by the head of Bedzin police. The prosecutor's office indicates that the basis for the charges is extensive evidence—witness statements, CCTV recordings, documentation of the officers' service activities and expert medical opinions.
Ill man mistaken for someone under the influence
The injured 49-year-old had undergone surgery years earlier during which a brain stimulator was implanted; he also takes regular medication. When he arrived at the petrol station to refuel his car, he experienced uncontrolled body movements. Three police officers who happened to be at the station off-duty and in civilian clothes intervened.
The man recounted that he tried to explain to the officers that he was ill, not under the influence of drugs. Nevertheless, the officers attempted to pull him from the car and take his keys. According to his account, he was beaten and choked.
Police statement and explanation
Following the broadcast of a report in the TVN programme "Uwaga", the Silesian police published an official statement. The Provincial Police Headquarters in Katowice explained that "atypical behaviour, uncoordinated movements and agitation gave rise to the suspicion that [the man] might be under the influence of intoxicating substances."
Police added that the man resisted as they attempted to remove him from the vehicle, and taking his keys was—according to the officers—necessary to prevent him from continuing to drive. Medical personnel later assessed that the injured man "given his current state should not continue driving."
In its statement, the Headquarters also noted that the symptoms of his illness were at the time of the incident "significantly more pronounced and considerably more apparent than in the material recorded later by the television crew."
According to police, one of the officers contacted the man after the incident to enquire about his health and apologise for the misassessment of his condition. At the request of the injured man himself, the following day all three officers met with him again and declared their willingness to cover any potential medical examination costs.
The case now goes before the District Court in Bedzin for review.
Source: PAP
Source: Google News PL