The District Prosecutor’s Office in Legnica reported that on Tuesday, July 21, an investigation was launched into an incident that occurred on July 18 at a publicly accessible school sports field in Legnica. The proceedings began after the mothers of the teenage victims were questioned and recordings from the city’s monitoring system were secured.
According to investigators’ findings, the 26-year-old woman allegedly attacked three minor Ukrainian citizens—two girls and a boy. The prosecutor’s office said that, before using violence, she reprimanded the teenagers, telling them that, while in Poland, they should not speak to one another in a foreign language. She then allegedly struck them with her fist and open hand in the face, causing bodily injuries resulting in impaired bodily functions and a health disorder lasting less than seven days.
Investigators determined that there was reasonable suspicion of a crime involving the use of violence against the victims because of their national origin. The act was additionally classified as having a hooligan character.
Woman Admitted Hitting the Children
On Wednesday, July 22, Karolina O. was detained by police and brought to the District Prosecutor’s Office in Legnica.
The prosecutor’s office reported that the suspect admitted hitting the teenagers but did not agree with the allegation that she had acted out of xenophobic motives. However, she did not deny reprimanding the children about their behavior and telling them that they “were not on their own territory.”
The prosecutor charged her with using violence against three minors because of their national origin and causing them minor bodily injuries. According to investigators, the act was committed in public and out of hooligan motives.
Police Supervision and Prohibitions Imposed
After the charges were presented, non-custodial preventive measures were applied to the 26-year-old.
The suspect was placed under police supervision. She was also banned from approaching or contacting the victims and from being present at the school sports field where the incident occurred.
Investigation Ongoing
The prosecutor has already submitted motions to the court to question the minor victims and witnesses to the incident.
The alleged offense involving violence motivated by national origin carries a sentence of between three months and five years in prison. Because investigators classified the act as having a hooligan character, the maximum statutory penalty may be increased by half, meaning that the suspect faces up to 7 years and 6 months in prison.