The Bolesławiec prosecutor’s office has made a decision in the high-profile case of the deer that was killed. As District Prosecutor istotne.pl Sebastian Woźniak confirmed in an interview, a motion has been submitted to the court for conditional discontinuance of proceedings against the man who was previously charged under Article 35(1) of the Animal Protection Act.

Investigators found that the degree of guilt and the social harmfulness of the act were not significant, while the circumstances of the incident and the evidence justified submitting this motion instead of an indictment.

The decision now rests with the court.

Three possible scenarios now

A motion for conditional discontinuance replaces an indictment, so the court is not bound by the investigators’ position.

Three outcomes are possible. The court may:

  • conditionally discontinue the proceedings,
  • acquit the defendant,
  • or refuse conditional discontinuance and hear the case under the ordinary procedure, which could end with a conviction.

Hearing date has not yet been set

The proceedings concluded only last week. A hearing date has not yet been set.

As a reminder, the incident occurred on Tuesday, April 14, in Szczytnica, Bolesławiec County. The report concerned an injured deer, probably hit by a vehicle.

A police patrol and, following residents’ report, the Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre were sent to the scene. As MP Łukasz Litewka reported, the centre’s staff arrived within a dozen or so minutes of being called.

According to the account of the incident, when they arrived, the animal was already dead. A man was reportedly standing over the deer and, witnesses claim, had independently decided to kill it. A police officer was beside him.

A recording documenting part of the incident appeared online. It captures a witness’s emotional reaction:

Guys, how he’s finishing it off and the police officer… You’re simply murderers

The man also addresses the person who killed the animal:

What was wrong with it, sir? All of this will be published. What does it have broken? And how do you know? Do you have an X-ray in your hand?

A brief response can be heard in the recording:

I saw it

The police presented their own findings. An official statement said that officers found an injured deer and a man at the scene whom they knew to be a hunter with the required qualifications.

The statement said:

Preliminary findings indicate that the man assessed its health as showing no prospect of recovery and made a decision he considered appropriate to the situation.

After the intervention, the animal was taken to a veterinarian. The examination revealed serious injuries:

The examination found numerous external injuries and a broken spine

The police remind the public that actions of this kind are governed by the Animal Protection Act. At the same time, the county police chief ordered additional measures:

Measures aimed at determining whether the decisions and actions taken were appropriate

The case sparked widespread discussion on social media and raised questions about the course of the intervention and the role of the services present at the scene. The findings of the explanatory proceedings are to determine whether the actions complied with the applicable law.