Polish appellate court has finalized a reduced sentence for lawyer Paweł K. convicted in a fatal car accident that killed two women, with experts noting he may serve no prison time.
Appellate Court Verdict
In April of last year, the District Court in Olsztyn sentenced Paweł K. to two years in prison and a five-year driving ban. Both the defendant’s defense, the prosecution, and representatives of the victims’ families appealed the verdict. The verdict from the Olsztyn Regional Court, announced on Thursday, March 5, is now final.
“Everything indicates that Paweł K. will not spend a single moment behind bars,” stated Łukasz Zboralski, an expert speaking with Gazeta.pl.
Sentence Reduction and Electronic Monitoring
According to Polish law, a convicted individual can serve a prison sentence under electronic surveillance at home if the sentence is longer than one year and six months. Łukasz Zboralski noted that Paweł K. received exactly such a sentence.
“According to me, everything indicates that Paweł K. will not spend a single moment behind bars,” the expert told Gazeta.pl.
Expert Opinion on Driving Behavior
Łukasz Zboralski stated: “Paweł K.’s approach to driving was inappropriate.” The second-instance court considered that the Łódź lawyer violated traffic safety rules unintentionally due to negligence. It was also established that he was driving at the permitted speed at the time of the accident. Trace amounts of cocaine were found in Paweł K.’s system, but according to experts, it did not affect his psychomotor skills.
“However, it seems to me that when imposing a sentence in such a case, where two people died, the court should also consider the defendant’s behavior before the accident and during the trial. And his approach to driving was inappropriate. After the accident, he presented an attitude far from remorse,” stated Zboralski.
Social Function of the Verdict
“A court verdict should always have several functions, one of which is the social function. It seems to me that in this case, the verdict does not fulfill this function. The public perception was that someone who caused an accident leading to the death of two people should be punished so that others who want to drive like that would know they will face punishment for it,” said Łukasz Zboralski.
Fatal Accident and Controversial Statements
The accident occurred on September 26, 2021, near Olsztyn on the Barczewo-Jeziorany route. The prosecutor’s office determined that Paweł K., driving a Mercedes, crossed a double solid line and collided with an Audi that was driving correctly. Two women in the Audi died at the scene.
Paweł K. published a recording online in which he stated that the accident was “a confrontation between a safe car and a coffin on wheels.” “And that’s why those women died,” he said. The prosecutor’s office also pointed out that Paweł K. had previously recorded videos with his wife showing him exceeding the speed limit. Sometimes he drove at 180 km/h. He posted the recordings online.