Indictment filed against kidnappers of middle-school student

Two Bolesławiec residents have been charged with abducting and subsequently holding minor Bartosz S. by force in order to force his father to pay PLN 400,000 in ransom. The tragic incident occurred on March 5, 2008, at approximately 10:00 a.m. The perpetrators arrived by car near the school the boy attended. Mateusz N. remained in the car, while Patryk J. went to the middle-school building. There, he asked teachers to allow him to contact Bartosz S. The accused said that the minor’s father had been involved in a road accident and was in hospital in Legnica.

Patryk J. introduced himself as a friend of the boy’s family. One of the teachers allowed Bartosz S. to leave the school. The perpetrator led the middle-school student to the car. When all three were near the allotment gardens, J. used incapacitating gas.

After arriving at the location, the accused took the boy out of the car and placed him in one of the garden huts. They tied his hands and legs. Taking advantage of a momentary lapse in the kidnappers’ attention, the abducted boy freed himself and attempted to escape, but was soon caught by Patryk J.

Bartosz was dragged back into the hut, where he was restrained and placed in a partially water-filled opening. The kidnappers covered the hole with boards.

At approximately 1:00 p.m., Mateusz N. contacted the abducted boy’s father, Mirosław S., by telephone and informed him of the kidnapping. The accused ordered S. not to contact the police, threatening to kill his son. He demanded PLN 400,000. Bartosz’s parents notified law enforcement.

Meanwhile, the minor freed himself for a second time. He broke through the boards in the hut’s wall and got outside. He began calling for help. Passers-by freed the restrained boy.

Both perpetrators only partially admitted to the alleged offense. They denied threatening Mirosław S. that they would kill his son, and also denied taking items belonging to the boy. At the request of the District Prosecutor in Bolesławiec, the local court ordered Patryk J. and Mateusz N. to be held in pre-trial detention.

The Bolesławiec residents face between 2 and 12 years in prison. The kidnappers have no prior convictions. A trial date has not yet been set.

(information from the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Jelenia Góra/GA)