Kosice Ex-cop Sentenced to Eight Years in Jail for Manslaughter

Kosice, May 21 (TASR) - Kosice City Court on Wednesday delivered its verdict in the case of the killing of a homeless man caught stealing in a department store in Kosice in November of last year, sentencing former police officer Marek A. [name abbreviated due to legal reasons] to eight years in prison for the aggravated crime of manslaughter and his former colleague Oliver I. to a suspended sentence of two years and eight months with three years of probation for misusing a public official's powers. The verdict is not final and may be appealed against. Both former members of the police pleaded guilty before the court. Marek A. is to serve his sentence in a correctional facility with a minimum security level. He was also banned from working for the police or a private security service for six years and required to cover the funeral expenses of the deceased and to compensate the health-insurance company for damages. The court referred the family’s claim for non-material damages to a civil lawsuit. The incident occurred in a department store in Nad Jazerom borough on 5 November 2024. According to the indictment, the police officers physically assaulted the 48-year-old man without cause. Marek A. struck him at least five times in the head with his fist, causing intracranial bleeding. The other officer also hit the man once on the side of the head with an open hand. The injured man died in hospital the next day despite undergoing surgery due to severe post-traumatic brain swelling. "I'm very sorry about what happened, I can't explain my impulsive behaviour," said Marek A. in his closing statement. Oliver I. also expressed regret for his actions, and both also expressed their condolences to the bereaved family. mf/df