Two men who carried out a “brutal and sustained attack” on a homeless man in Maghera were today (Monday) jailed for his manslaughter.
Adrian Kozak, 22, and 21-year old Caolon Michael Johnston were both teenagers when they beat Polish national Piotr Krowka to death at the back of a disused parochial house in the Co Derry town in March 2018.
Kozak - who was 17 at the time and who was also involved in previous attacks on Mr Krowka prior to the fatal assault - was handed an eight-year sentence. From Garvey Wood in Ballymena, his sentence was divided equally between custody and licence.
Read more: Maghera manslaughter pair warned to expect “lengthy prison sentences”
Johnston, from The Fort in Maghera, was handed a six-year sentence and will serve three years in custody followed by a further three years on licence. He was aged 16 at the time and described as easily led. He later showed part of the assault which was recorded on a mobile to a female friend.
The pair were sentenced at Belfast Crown Court by Judge Patricia Smyth, who branded the case as “exceptionally difficult”.
She spoke of both Kozak and Johnston’s youth and immaturity in March 2018 and said she accepted neither intended to cause Mr Krowka serious harm.
The 37-year old had been living with fellow Poles in Maghera but found himself homeless following an unsubstantiated allegation he sexually assaulted a woman. This resulted in him being attacked on several occasions prior to the fatal beating carried out in the disused property on the Glen Road on the evening of March 31, 2018.
After attacking Mr Krowka and leaving him prone on the ground, Kozak and Johnston left the scene. They returned the following day, and despite it being obvious that Mr Krowka remained in the same position on the ground from the night before, the pair failed to raise the alarm.
The remains of the homeless alcoholic were eventually discovered on Tuesday April 3, 2018 and a police investigation was launched. CCTV footage taken from relevant areas in Maghera was viewed and police were able to ascertain that the last time Mr Krowka was seen alive was on March 31, 2018 when he was captured walking around the town.
A local man saw Mr Krowka walking in the direction of the disused parochial house, where he often sought refuge, at around 9pm.
Kozak was observed firstly following Mr Krowka then attacking him on the street, and when Kozak was challenged he ran off and met up with several others teenagers including Johnston at the Maghera steps - an area in the town.
At 9.10pm Kozak and Johnston left the group and made their way to the disused premises, and as Judge Smyth revealed “over the course of the next 45 minutes, both defendants carried out a fatal attack upon Mr Krowka within the derelict house”.
She added: “It is clear this was a brutal and sustained attack which resulted in catastrophic injuries.”
A post mortem revealed Mr Krowka died as a result of blunt force trauma injuries to his head, chest and abdomen. Four of his ribs were fractured whilst a laceration was also caused to one of his kidneys.
Kozak was arrested on April 10, 2018 and when clothes and footwear were removed and forensically examined, Mr Krowka’s blood was located on the toe area of a shoe. Johnston was arrested seven days later.
During their interviews, both defendants denied involvement in the fatal attack. They were each charged with murder and were due to stand trial, but when the charge of manslaughter was offered by the Crown, both pleaded guilty to the unlawful killing of Mr Krowka.
As she sentenced the pair, Judge Smyth spoke of the delay involved which she said had resulted in both young men experiencing anxiety. Also noted by the Judge were the clear criminal records of both men.
The Belfast Recorder said: “A vulnerable man was left to die, having been subjected to a brutal and sustained beating by two teenagers who did not intend to cause him really serious harm, and who - due to their age, relative immaturity, lighting conditions within a derelict house and a degree of panic - failed to appreciate the extend of his injuries or the fact he was in a life-threatening condition.”
As their families sat in the public gallery, both young men were led from the dock in handcuffs by prison staff and taken into custody to begin their sentences.
Speaking afterwards, Detective Inspector Davis from the PSNI said: “This was a sad and senseless loss of a life, and my thoughts – and that of the investigation team – are very much with the Krowka family.
“Kozak and Johnston had been out for the evening, socialising with a group of friends, before the attack took place. I hope that both these young men will come to understand the consequences of their actions on that night as they spend the next number of years in prison.”
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