The incident occurred on 25 April at approximately 3:40 p.m. At that time, 42-year-old Legnica resident Jarosław B. entered a shop on Senatorska Street and began behaving aggressively. He threatened an employee and the shop owner, demanding that they hand over an unspecified decoder. A knife was visibly protruding from the back pocket of his trousers. At one point, the suspect pulled it out and waved it in front of the victims’ eyes. He threatened the women with death and with damaging the shop’s equipment, and, as proof, struck boxes of goods with his hand.

One of the victims managed to go into the back room, from where she called the police. After a moment, Jarosław B. ran outside. Police officers detained him near the scene. He had a knife with him.

After his detention, and again in the presence of a police officer, the suspect threatened the women with death or assault and threatened to destroy the shop. B.’s behavior indicated that he might be suffering from a mental disorder.

Jarosław B. was charged with attempting, under recidivist conditions, to commit aggravated extortion by trying to force the victims, through verbal threats and threats to use a knife, to give him a decoder for receiving satellite television, worth approximately PLN 600.

The above-mentioned man had previously been convicted of aiding and abetting a murder. For that offense, by a judgment of the District Court in Legnica dated 5 April 2005, he was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment, which he served from 8 November 2000 to 19 June 2013. Committing such an offense under recidivist conditions may carry a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.

Jarosław B. did not admit to committing the alleged offense and refused to provide explanations. At the prosecutor’s request, the court remanded him in custody for three months. During the investigation, it was established that as early as February 2015 the suspect had been receiving psychiatric treatment for delusional disorders.

Expert opinions were therefore obtained, and the experts unequivocally stated that Jarosław B. had been legally insane at the time of the offense. He had no ability to understand the significance of his act or to control his conduct. Jarosław B.’s actions resulted from hallucinations and a delusional interpretation of events and had a psychotic motivation.

The experts also indicated that, given the suspect’s current mental state, there was a high probability that he would commit another violent offense. Since outpatient treatment would not serve its purpose, the medical grounds existed for applying a preventive measure in the form of treatment in a closed psychiatric hospital.

For these very reasons, on 2 June the prosecutor submitted to the District Court in Legnica the application required in such a case: to discontinue the proceedings and refer him for precisely this type of treatment.

Jarosław B. is single. He has vocational education. Before his detention, he was unemployed. He supported himself with social welfare benefits.

The case will be heard by the District Court in Legnica.

Liliana Łukasiewicz, press spokesperson for the District Prosecutor’s Office in Legnica/ii