Retired policeman sues over alleged sexual abuse
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
04.04.2014 12:48
A retired policeman is suing the force over claims that he was sexually abused by his commanding officer as a young recruit.
photo - PR
The former officer also wants damages concerning a bullet injury he sustained while training, and he is seeking a combined sum of 500,000 zloty (120,000 euro).
The applicant, who served in the Silesia region, has claimed that he did not speak out earlier concerning the alleged sexual abuse as he did not want to jeopardise his career.
“Who was I supposed to tell?” he told the Gazeta Wyborcza daily, which has withheld his identity, using a pseudonym for the purposes of the interview.
“After all, the perpetrator was my supervisor, and I was just a young police officer,” he said.
“For years I hid this from my wife, and I only told her what happened just before my retirement.”
He also claims that he was not the only victim of his commander's sexual advances.
The applicant was ultimately promoted to an elite Silesian counter-terrorism unit, but he was hit by a rubber bullet during a training exercise, and was compelled to retire for health reasons after 17 years in the force.
The police declined to pay him compensation of more than 7800 zloty (1870 euro) in March 2013, and legal proceedings are now under way. (nh)