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Damages for man cleared of murder

PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge 01.10.2014 11:58
A man who was wrongly imprisoned for the murder of his landlady has been awarded damages by a court in Lublin, south east Poland.
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Photo: Glowimages

The court has awarded Zbigniew G. (full name withheld under Poland's privacy laws) damages to the sum of 323,000 zloty (77,280 euro), considerably less than the 17 million zloty (4 million euro) he had sought.

The judge ruled that the damages were calculated in relation to the man's earnings as a chef in a Lublin hotel.

Zbigniew G. was initially arrested in January 2005, and he served three years behind bars before his conviction was overturned.

According to the prosecution in the first trial, Zbigniew G. had bludgeoned then strangled his landlady in September 2004, before making off with money and valuables.

He pleaded not guilty from the outset, but was given a 25-year sentence.

However, an appeal court overturned the ruling and ordered a retrial.

Traces of blood that were believed to be the murderer's were re-examined from samples found on a clock belonging to the victim.

Forensic experts found that the blood could not be unequivocally matched to Zbigniew G.

He was eventually released in November 2007.

Zbigniew G.'s marriage had collapsed as a result of the case, but following his release the couple remarried. (nh)

Source: PAP

tags: crime, Lublin
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