In June 2023, 47-year-old Mariusz G. was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of three women. Now the Court of Appeal in Szczecin overturned the verdict because the jury included a so-called neo-judge. Other errors were also noted. G. He will appear in court again.
The hearing was held on Friday at the Court of Appeal in Szczecin presided over by Judge Andrzej Olszewski. This refers to the judgment of June 15, 2023. Then the Kossaline district court sentenced Mariusz G. to prison for killing three women in Kolobrzeg and taking their property. Four people were also convicted of aiding and abetting.
The parties were heard on Friday, and after a five-judge panel, it was decided that the June 15, 2023 sentence was “almost completely” overturned.
– Due to the absolute reasons for invalidating the judgment of one of the professional judges who ruled in this case, that is, judge Anna Rutecka-Yankovsky, – SSA Olshevskii explained.
Andrzej Olszewski recalled Supreme Court rulings from May and November 2024, in which the Supreme Court stated that so-called neo-judges appointed after 2017 were not entitled to rule.
Mariusz G. in front of the court in Kossalyn (photo from May 2023)
With reference to Art. 439 heads. 1 point 2 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Absolute Grounds of Appeal), Olshevsky stated that, in the opinion of the entire panel of judges, judge Rutechka-Yankovsky “does not meet the standards of independence and impartiality” under art. section 45 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, art. 47 Charter of Fundamental Rights and Art. 6 section 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Article 45. Right to a court 1. Everyone has the right to a fair and open trial without undue delay by a competent, impartial and independent court.
Article 47. A person whose rights and freedoms guaranteed by the federal law have been violated has the right to go to court through an effective and impartial court in accordance with the conditions provided for in this article. Everyone has the right to a fair and public hearing within a reasonable time by an independent and impartial tribunal previously established by law. Everyone has the opportunity to get legal advice and use the help of a lawyer and a representative. Legal aid is provided to people with insufficient resources to the extent necessary to ensure effective access to justice.
Article 6. Everyone has the right to a fair and public hearing within a reasonable time by an independent and impartial court established by law to determine his civil rights and obligations or the merits of any criminal charge against him. The proceedings in the court are open, but the press and the public are excluded from the court proceedings in whole or in part for reasons of custom, public order or the security of the state in a democratic society, if the well-being of minors requires it, or if necessary. serves to protect the personal life of the parties or in special cases within the scope deemed necessary by the court, where transparency may harm the interests of justice.
“Many mistakes” of the court in Kosalin
Olshevsky emphasized that in such a situation, CA judges are not obliged to consider the appeal. However, they reviewed the demands of the parties and analyzed the work of the Kossalin regional court. Olshevskii explained that only four of the several points of the verdict regarding the charges against which the defendants were acquitted have not been canceled.
Olshevsky pointed out the “numerous errors” of the Kossalin court, including: the wrong level of punishments, but also clerical errors.
– The appellate court can forgive minor mistakes caused by lack of experience (…), but if the name of the victim is wrong, it means that the accused has been convicted twice for the same thing, – he said. Olshevsky. – This is not due to lack of experience, but carelessness, – he said.
He also expressed his surprise that the prosecutor’s office does not see the “need to obtain a mental and psychological examination” of the main accused.
– This judgment has so many flaws that it would have been annulled if it had not been for this basic premise, – concluded Olshevsky.
“Bloody Tulip” appears in court again
The press called Mariusz G. from Kolobrzeg “Bloody Tulip”. In June 2023, he was found guilty of the murder of three women with motives worthy of special condemnation, the desire to take possession of property and committing 14 of 19 crimes.
He was sentenced to life in prison and can apply for parole after 35 years. The court deprived Mariusz G. of social rights for 10 years. He was also obliged to restore the damage (almost PLN 0.5 million) and compensate the victims’ heirs (PLN 1.7 million).
The first victim of Marius G. It was 31-year-old Iwona K who killed him in the spring of 2016. In October 2018, Aneta D., 37, from Kolobrzeg, Boguslava R., 54, lost his life on June 7, 2019.
They were looking for love, they found death. New information about the murder of women from KołobrzegFakty TVN
Four defendants were also charged with helping to cover up the crime scene. Sebastian T. was sentenced to four years, Dorota L. was sentenced to three years, Carolina S. was sentenced to two years and four months, and her mother Lucia S.
More: He was supposed to make women fall in love with him and then kill them. Mariusz G. appeared in court and confessed to the murders
All participants of the trial appealed against the sentence: lawyers of the accused, representatives of the families of the victims and the prosecutor’s office (they demanded that G. be punished for helping to terminate the pregnancy). The defense attorney of the main accused, Mr. Edward Stepien, requested to reduce the sentence from life imprisonment to 20 years in prison. Defense lawyers for Dorota L (who was present at Friday’s hearing) asked for an acquittal or a reversal of the sentence. The lawyer representing Carolina S. (who was also present at the SA) asked for a reduced sentence.
– I don’t see a word similar to the word “sorry” in any complaint, said lawyer Wisław Brelinski, one of the representatives of the family of one of the victims at the trial on Friday.
After the hearing, he admitted that he was surprised by the cancellation of the court verdict. He recalled that Szczecin SA has been dealing with this case since the middle of 2024, and already at the hearing in October, the court asked the parties to the trial whether “to cancel this verdict due to the wrong composition of the judges”.
– And then, in my opinion, the court should decide whether to continue the trial or not, – concluded Brelinsky.
G. He will appear in court again.
