The Warsaw District Prosecutor’s Office filed charges against Paweł P. for assaulting former Senate Marshal Stanisław Karczewski during Christmas shopping, with a potential prison term of up to five years. The information was confirmed by PAP.
Complaint filed in court
On March 22, 2023, the Warsaw District Court received the charges brought by the Warsaw District Prosecutor’s Office against Paweł P.
It is alleged that on December 15, 2022, in Warsaw on Aleje Jerozolimskie, Paweł P. acted in public without justification and with flagrant disregard for the rule of law. He insulted the victim because of the political affiliation of Stanisław Karczewski using vulgar language that is widely deemed offensive.
Aleksandra Skrzyniarz, spokeswoman for the Warsaw district prosecutor’s office, provided the update to PAP.
The accusation also states that the defendant used physical force against the victim by pushing him at chest height, causing the victim to fall. The offender then snatched the victim’s phone and threw it to the ground, resulting in claimed property damage totaling 700 PLN, according to the prosecutor.
These details were confirmed by the prosecutor.
Attack on the former Senate President
The incident, which occurred in mid-December of the previous year, was described on Karczewski’s Twitter account, where he said he was attacked, faced vulgar insults, was struck, and toppled during a Christmas shopping trip.
A spokesperson for the Warsaw District Prosecutor’s Office, Aleksandra Skrzyniarz, noted that an investigation had begun into insults based on political beliefs and the use of force against the senator. She stated that Paweł P., believed to be the person charged in the case, faced accusations including the use of force linked to political beliefs, violation of the victim’s immunity, and damage to property in the form of a smartphone.
The prosecutor also indicated that the suspect pleaded not guilty. The contents of the case were described as under investigation at this stage.
The court did not grant the public prosecutor’s request for pre-trial detention. Instead, libertarian preventive measures were imposed, including a 20,000 PLN property guarantee, police supervision, and a ban on approaching and contacting the victim. The court found a high probability that the accused committed the alleged act and thus supported the prosecutor’s position.
The acts in question carry a potential sentence ranging from three months to five years in prison.