Tomasz P., a physical education teacher charged by the Legnica prosecutor’s office, among other things, with exposing students to the immediate danger of loss of life or health and unintentionally causing the death of one of them, 13-year-old Jakub, has been acquitted by the District Court in Legnica. The prosecutor sought a one-year suspended prison sentence with a three-year probation period, a five-year ban on working as a teacher and compensation for the parents of the deceased boy.
The judgment is not final, and investigators disagree with the ruling in its entirety. In their view, the court “unjustifiably” dismissed the prosecutor’s motions to admit a number of items of evidence. These included, among other things, testimony from students, which the prosecution considered crucial. Moreover, the prosecutor identified contradictions and ambiguities in the experts’ opinions and requested that a new panel be appointed. (The court dismissed this motion as well.)
The prosecutor’s office announces an appeal.
Let us recall. The tragedy occurred in October 2018 in Lasek Złotoryjski in Legnica. As reported by tvn24.pl:
That day, Tomasz P., a physical education teacher, planned an outdoor lesson with a seventh-grade sports class. According to the prosecutor’s findings, P. instructed the students to perform a “dangerous strength exercise” involving lifting a nearly ten-metre-long tree branch weighing more than 100 kilograms from the ground and throwing it over their heads.
During the lesson, 13-year-old Jakub lost his balance, fell and was crushed by the aforementioned branch. He suffered severe injuries. For two weeks, doctors fought for his life. Without success. The boy died on 26 October 2018.