Man Charged for Abusing Ukrainian Children on Polish Bus
Translated from Polish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
News
Sources not specified
In the courts
- A man in Bielsko-Biała, Poland, faces charges for verbally abusing and physically assaulting three Ukrainian women, including two minors, on a bus.
- The incident, captured on video, shows the man aggressively using vulgar language towards the girls.
- The bus driver intervened, eventually escorting the man off the vehicle, and the suspect has confessed to the charges.
A man in Bielsko-Biała, Poland, has been charged with national origin-based insults and violating the physical integrity of three Ukrainian women, two of whom are minors. The incident occurred on a public bus, where the man allegedly subjected the women to aggressive verbal abuse and vulgarity.
The man faces charges of committing a crime under Article 257 of the Penal Code, i.e., insult due to national origin of three female citizens of Ukraine, including two minors, and violation of the physical integrity of one of them.
According to Małgorzata Moś-Brachowska, spokesperson for the District Prosecutor's Office in Bielsko-Biała, the suspect faces up to three years in prison for the offenses. The prosecutor confirmed that the adult victim is not related to the two girls. Investigators have placed the suspect under police supervision and prohibited him from contacting the victims.
The prosecutor explained that the adult victim in the case has no connection to the girls.
The man has reportedly confessed to the charges and provided extensive explanations, though the content of these explanations has not been disclosed to protect the victims. Both 11-year-old girls involved have been interviewed and stated that their behavior was not provocative or vulgar. They described the man approaching them and, after a brief pause, impulsively reacting with curses and shouts.
The man admitted to committing the act he is accused of and provided extensive explanations.
Video footage of the incident circulated online, showing the man's aggressive behavior. The bus driver intervened, attempting to de-escalate the situation and eventually removing the man from the bus at the next stop. The bus company, MZK Bielsko-Biała, reviewed surveillance footage, noting that while one of the girls had her legs extended towards her friend, this behavior was not disruptive to other passengers and was typical of teenagers using mobile phones. The company emphasized that the man's reaction was unprovoked.
They described the course of the event. One thing I can say is that provocative or vulgar behavior on their part is ruled out.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Rzeczpospolita in Polish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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