The incident occurred during the night of February 28 to March 1, 2015, on the third floor of a tenement building on Wrocławska Street in Legnica. That evening, Sławomir Z.—the defendant in the case—was visited by his former partner with her 16-year-old older son and her other child, a 7-month-old baby.
In the early morning, after previously taking cocaine, the defendant argued with his former partner, took the baby from the crib and, threatening to kill the boy, forced the woman to admit to a certain circumstance that she denied. To intimidate her, he stood on the interior windowsill and repeatedly held the child beyond its outer edge.
After several such attempts, the frightened mother and her older son pulled the defendant into the room. Sławomir Z. did not return the boy, but continued holding him beyond the windowsill from inside the apartment. The police were notified.
One of the officers took the child from the defendant after negotiating with him. Nothing happened to the baby.
During a search of the defendant’s apartment, 5.7 grams of cocaine were discovered. It was established that he had been under its influence during the incident.
Z. was charged with exposing his own son, and therefore a person over whom he had a duty of care, to the direct danger of loss of life or serious bodily harm, threatening the child’s mother, and possessing drugs.
Sławomir Z. pleaded guilty to the acts attributed to him and provided explanations, also expressing his willingness to voluntarily submit to punishment.
An unconditional cumulative prison sentence of 2 years and 6 months was agreed with the defendant. He remains in custody.
Sławomir Z. had previously been convicted (in 2010) of abusing his former common-law partner and sentenced to 2 years’ imprisonment suspended for a 5-year probation period. He was under the supervision of a probation officer and had to leave the apartment he had previously shared with the victim, which he did. His parental rights regarding his older son had been limited.
The case will be heard by the District Court in Legnica.
District Prosecutor’s Office in Legnica/ii