G. and Z., acting on behalf of their friend, also a resident of Chorzów, Tomasz G. (who had worked for some time for an entrepreneur from Legnica), demanded that the owner of a Legnica shop repay a debt of PLN 20,000.

The incident occurred on September 3 this year. Both defendants came to the victim’s shop and asked for the owner. When he said that he was the owner, Sebastian Z., showing an object resembling a firearm tucked into his waistband, took out a VAT invoice—issued for services allegedly performed by the victim’s former employee—and demanded that he hand over PLN 20,000 in cash.

When the entrepreneur said that he did not have that much money, Krzysztof G. hit him in the head. The perpetrators then threatened the man with death and bodily harm while holding an object resembling a firearm, and ordered him to make a bank transfer.

The victim transferred PLN 8,600 to the account they provided. The men stated that they were acting on behalf of former employee Tomasz G. and were collecting the debt for him.

After the transfer was made, the perpetrators threatened the shop owner that, if they were arrested, their associates would come to the victim’s home and kill his entire family.

After the defendants left, the entrepreneur immediately notified the police and blocked the transfer at the bank.

When the criminals realized that the money had not been transferred, Z. spent several days trying to force the victim to unblock the transfer, threatening by telephone and text message to kill both the shop owner and his family.

The attackers were arrested on September 11 and 12. At the prosecutor’s request, they were remanded in custody.

During the investigation, it emerged that in June this year, in Ruda Śląska, Z. and the two underage children of his common-law partner committed a burglary at a single-family house (the stolen property consisted of cables worth PLN 3,000).

Krzysztof G., meanwhile, assaulted a man in Chorzów on April 7, 2014, striking him several times in the face with his fist.

Both defendants had been convicted by the courts many times, including for robberies. Both pleaded guilty. G. faces up to 7.6 years in prison, while Z. faces up to 15 years’ imprisonment.

The person who commissioned the crime and his accomplice are hiding from law enforcement authorities. The Chorzów prosecutor’s office is conducting proceedings concerning the forgery of the VAT invoice on the basis of which Tomasz G. demanded that the Legnica entrepreneur repay the money.

The case concerning the extortion of debt repayment will be heard by the District Court in Legnica.

District Prosecutor’s Office in Legnica/ii