Father sentenced to 30 years in prison for the death of a 3-month-old child. Verdict delivered in high-profile case

On March 3, 2026, the District Court in Legnica delivered its verdict in the case of the parents from Przemków – Marcin G. and Monika M. – who abused their sons: 3-month-old Piotr (previously Marcin, born on December 13, 2023) and his older brother, 1.5-year-old Filip (born on September 21, 2022). The father was sentenced to 30 years in prison, while the mother was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison.

The indictment in this case was filed with the court in February last year by the District Prosecutor’s Office in Głogów. – The court found, among other things, that Marcin G. had not committed the crime of murdering his son Piotr (previously Marcin), but rather the crime of causing serious bodily injury that unintentionally led to the boy’s death – explains Liliana Łukasiewicz of the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Legnica.

She adds:

Marcin G. was convicted of the acts described in the indictment, committed jointly and in agreement with the mother, Monika M. He mentally and physically abused his minor son Filip, who was helpless due to his age, by shouting, hitting him with his hand, sealing his mouth with adhesive tape, and leaving the minor alone at their residence and in other situations that posed a danger to the child, thereby exposing the minor to the immediate risk of serious harm to his health.

That was not all. As the court found, G. “also independently engaged in conduct toward the minor such as pushing, hitting him with his hand and fist on the head and back, kicking his torso, and throwing him onto a bed, as a result of which he caused bodily injuries in the form of bruises within a short period of time, constituting impairment of bodily functions and a disturbance of health lasting less than seven days,” and “acting intentionally with conditional intent, by inflicting at least one forceful blow to the head with his hand of the aforementioned son Filip, caused injuries in the form of epidural hematomas, some of which resulted in extensive subdural hygromas, constituting serious harm to health in the form of a life-threatening illness and a serious long-term illness.”

It was also established that from December 19, 2023, acting jointly and in agreement with Monika M., G. mentally and physically abused his other minor son, Marcin (renamed Piotr), who was helpless due to his age – by shouting, suffocating him, hitting him with his hand, and leaving him alone at their residence, thereby exposing the boy to the immediate risk of serious harm to his health,

The man was also convicted of the fact that “as part of his own intentional conduct with conditional intent, using at least moderate force, he engaged in systematic, repeated conduct toward the minor Marcin, such as throwing him onto a bed, hitting him with his hand and fist on the head and back, and shaking him, resulting in a rib fracture (...), as well as the formation of hemorrhagic cavities in both frontal lobes and numerous hemorrhagic lesions throughout the brain.” Moreover, on February 28, 2024, acting independently with conditional intent to cause serious harm to health, he “struck the head of his minor son Marcin (later Piotr) with considerable force, causing fractures within the scales of both parietal bones of the skull,” which resulted in the victim’s cardiac and respiratory arrest, as well as increasing, generalized, severe brain swelling and acute ischemic-hypoxic changes that unintentionally led to the boy’s death on May 20, 2024.

Marcin G. was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Spokeswoman:

As for the boys’ mother, Monika M., the court found that she had committed only the abuse of the minor children, independently and jointly with their father. The court did not find her guilty of aiding the father in the murder of one of the sons.

The court found that M., as part of the acts with which she was charged, acting jointly and in agreement with the child’s father, Marcin G., mentally and physically abused her minor son Filip, who was helpless due to his age: she shouted at the minor, hit him with her hand and with a plastic bottle of milk, and left him alone at their residence, thereby exposing him to the immediate risk of serious harm to his health. It was also found that she mentally and physically abused the minor Marcin (renamed Piotr), who was helpless due to his age, by shouting, placing him on his stomach and suffocating him, pressing his head into a pillow, hitting him with her hand, leaving him alone at their residence and in other situations exposing the child to danger, thereby exposing the minor to the immediate risk of serious harm to his health; she committed this act while having significantly diminished criminal responsibility.

The court sentenced Monika M. to 1 year and 6 months in prison, taking into account her diminished criminal responsibility, which provided grounds for imposing a more lenient sentence. Prosecutor:

The court also prohibited both defendants from contacting their injured son Filip or coming within 200 meters of him for a period of 15 years.

G. was also prohibited for life from holding any position, practicing any profession, or engaging in any activity related to raising, educating, treating or caring for minors. Liliana Łukasiewicz concludes: – The prosecutor will request the written reasoning for the judgment and, after reviewing the court’s arguments, will decide whether to file a possible appeal.