Resident of Nowogrodziec gmina sentenced for spying on 9 women. He hid a camera in a fitting room, changing rooms and a bathroom

The judgment in the case was issued in 2024. The District Court in Bolesławiec sentenced the 41-year-old to imprisonment suspended, imposed a ban on approaching the victims and ordered compulsory psychological therapy. The judgment ordered the defendant to pay a total of PLN 33,120: compensation payments to the 9 victims (PLN 3,000 to each of them), PLN 6,000 in reimbursement of the costs of appointing a representative for 6 auxiliary prosecutors, and a PLN 120 court fee to the State Treasury. In addition, the court ordered the defendant to bear the general court costs payable to the State Treasury.

He was caught thanks to a shop customer’s vigilance

A breakthrough in the case came on 7 March 2023 at a shop in Bolesławiec. The defendant was then attempting to record a customer trying on trousers in a fitting room by sliding a portable camera wrapped in black film under the partition. However, the woman noticed the hidden equipment and immediately informed the shop staff. The police were called to the scene, which led to the man’s arrest.

– In 2023, officers of the Investigative Department conducted proceedings under Article 191a §1 of the Penal Code in connection with the arrest of a 41-year-old resident of Nowogrodziec gmina suspected of recording women’s images – reports Anna Kublik-Rościszewska. – The incident after which the perpetrator was arrested took place in March 2023 in the fitting room of one of the shops in Bolesławiec. In the course of the proceedings, police officers collected evidence that provided grounds for bringing a total of 9 charges. The proceedings ended with an indictment, which was submitted to the District Prosecutor’s Office in Bolesławiec on 28 June 2023 – adds the spokesperson for the County Police Headquarters in Bolesławiec.

The investigation showed that the resident of Nowogrodziec gmina had previously installed hidden cameras in a women’s changing room at a company in the town of W. and in a bathroom in the town of C. A total of 9 women fell victim to him.

Diminished criminal responsibility and a series of offences

Before the District Court in Bolesławiec, the defendant was tried for a series of 9 offences under Article 191a § 1 of the Penal Code involving the surreptitious recording of images of naked people. Taking into account the evidence collected and the expert opinions, the court established that at the time of the alleged offences, the defendant’s ability to control his conduct was significantly diminished.

On 12 August 2024, Judge Marcin Rygiel sentenced the defendant to 6 months’ imprisonment. The execution of the sentence was conditionally suspended for a probation period of 2 years. During the 2-year probation period, the defendant was required to regularly inform the court about his conduct.

Strict supervision, compensation payments and compulsory therapy

The court imposed a number of stringent obligations and penal measures on the man. The defendant was absolutely prohibited from contacting any of the nine female victims in any way or approaching them within 100 metres during the probation period, that is, until August 2026.

The court ordered a preventive measure in the form of outpatient psychological treatment aimed at changing behaviour patterns related to the erotic sphere, as well as the financial compensation described above. The camera used to commit the offences was destroyed.