Prosecutors said that a 15-year-old boy, who died last August, was beaten with a bed slat, stabbed with a needle and whipped with an extension cable by his mother and her lover.
According to Mirror, Sebastian Kalinowski died from an infection caused by "untreated complications of multiple rib fractures." Leeds Crown Court recently heard that the boy's death came after weeks of "cruel assaults and abuse."
After moving from Poland, Kalinowski had been in the UK for less than a year. He moved to live with his 35-year-old mother Agnieszka Kalinowska, and her long-term partner Andrzej Latoszewski. Kalinowski came to Huddersfield in October 2020. The teaching staff described him as "a pleasant and well-mannered boy" who "was observed to be quiet and timid, and at times appeared sad."
In connection with the boy's death, the couple were arrested. Once the investigation was launched, police seized CCTV cameras from their house in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. The cameras were allegedly installed partly to "monitor and exert control over Sebastian remotely." Prosecutor Jason Pitter QC said that in a twist, it is that system that has recorded the "abuse he had to endure."
Pitter said that by New Year's Eve, the defendants' attitude was that the boy was "something of a hindrance" and they spoke about him being a liar. He told jurors that they may conclude that these were "attempts to justify what they would present as a need for Sebastian's 'punishments'." He noted that the punishments were by any stretch of the imagination "cruel and became increasingly more severe and violent over time."
He shared that it would appear that the punishments were precipitated by things such as Kalinowski "merely dropping food on his bedroom floor, or even just having gone to the toilet during the night." From January 2021, his disciplining became "progressively harsh."
Emergency services were called to the defendants' house by Latoszewski on Aug. 13, 2021 after the teenager had been "unconscious for some two and a half hours," said Pitter. He shared that Latoszewski said that he had found the boy in the bath with his head under water. He suggested that perhaps the boy had "drowned". An examination of the boy revealed injuries including bruising to his forehead, buttocks, jaw, legs, abdomen and arms. He also had multiple rib fractures. According to Daily Mail, clips were shown at the court in which Latoszewski was seen making the teen do exercises. He was also seen whipping the boy with an extension cable to "spur him on."
At Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday, Latoszewski changed his plea on the manslaughter charge. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter, but he still denies murder, reported BBC. Pitter said that the murder trial was set to continue against both defendants, and he maintained it was the prosecution's case and that "both are guilty of murder so the trial will continue as before."
