A Polish court sentenced a priest to 14 years in prison after he was found guilty of nine counts of sexual abuse against children and one of possession of child pornography.
On 9 September, the district court in Sosnowiec ordered the priest, identified under Polish law as Fr Jacek K., to pay almost 400,000 zloty (almost £80,000) in compensation to his victims and banned him from contacting them for 15 years.
The court also banned Fr Jacek K. from engaging in activities related to education and childcare for life. He denies the charges and can appeal the verdict.
Fr Jacek K was arrested in October 2024 and subsequently charged with committing nine sexual offences against seven girls when he served as a priest and taught religion between 2008 and 2024. Prosecutors also discovered child pornography on his storage devices.
“I believe we are dealing with one of the harshest penalties ever handed down to a member of the clergy accused of sexual offenses,” prosecutor Bartosz Kilian said after the ruling was published.
The trial was held in camera.
“It is difficult to speak of satisfaction in the face of such immense suffering and the victims’ years of hidden pain. However, there is certainly a sense that justice has been served today,” he added.
In October 2024, police detained Fr Jacek K. and two other men, one an active priest, Fr Dariusz L., the other a former priest, all from the Diocese of Sosnowiec, in a major investigation into sexual abuse of children by priests.
The arrests were made following information obtained during an investigation into the murder of a 26-year-old deacon at the Catholic House in Sosnowiec in March 2023.
Prosecutors said a 40-year-old priest fired six gunshots and stabbed the deacon multiple times. The priest then took his own life. Both men served at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Sosnowiec.
The trial of Fr Dariusz L., who was also charged with nine counts of sexually abusing children, continues. The former priest received a one-year suspended prison sentence and a fine for fraud, but he was not charged with sexual offences.
A commission established by Bishop Artur Ważny of Sosnowiec presented a partial report that found that at least 50 children were abused by members of the clergy in the diocese.
The report identified 29 individual alleged perpetrators, including 23 priests from the diocese.