Farmer Who Plowed Fresh Asphalt in Gliwice Sentenced to Three Months in Custody

A 60-year-old farmer who used an Ursus tractor to plow up a newly paved road in Gliwice, claiming ownership, has been placed in temporary detention for three months.

Arrest and Detention

On Friday, a 60-year-old farmer drove an Ursus tractor onto newly laid asphalt and plowed approximately 200 meters of the road. According to the Gliwice Municipal Police Headquarters, he claimed to be the owner of the road and stated that the work carried out there was illegal, while also threatening to damage the surface again. Officers arrested him red-handed.

On Sunday, the Gliwice-Zachód District Prosecutor’s Office charged the farmer with the destruction of property of significant value and requested the Gliwice District Court to temporarily arrest the 60-year-old for three months. The decision was issued the same day based on the severity of the potential penalty, which ranges from one to 10 years in prison.

Admission of Guilt and Prosecution Arguments

The 60-year-old admitted to plowing the newly laid asphalt and maintained to prosecutors that the land belongs to him. However, investigative and municipal documentation confirms that the plots have belonged to the local government for 25 years.

The Gliwice Regional Prosecutor’s Office emphasized that the suspect acted in a planned and premeditated manner, using agricultural equipment to guarantee the destruction of the road. Prosecutors noted that the act harms all residents of Gliwice, who waited years for the road construction and must now bear significant reconstruction costs. At the time of his arrest, the farmer was sober, and his tractor—which lacked mandatory third-party liability insurance—was towed to a police parking lot.

Municipal Authorities’ Statement

Gliwice Mayor Katarzyna Kuczyńska-Budka announced that the Municipal Road Authority estimated the losses at approximately 400,000 PLN, noting that both the asphalt layer and the road subgrade were destroyed. She also published video footage showing the incident on Facebook and stated it was not the first time the man had destroyed public property.

The Municipal Road Authority issued a statement denying claims that Rybacka Street in Ostropa is half privately owned. The authority clarified that the entire road belongs to the City of Gliwice and that a private owner’s lack of consent had no impact on the renovation or asphalt paving. Ostropa is a district of Gliwice that has belonged to the city since 1975 while retaining some of its rural character in architecture and traditions.