Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap - Crime Chronicles

[Bonobo]

Five million download illegally in Poland
thenews.pl
27.04.2009

At least five million Poles regularly download or distribute unauthorized copies of films, music, games and software.

Although internet piracy is illegal and may lead to imprisonment, for many Poles it has become a lifestyle.

According to a survey conducted by the SMG/KRC in 2008, only one in five Poles perceive downloading music as a violation of authors' rights and condemns it.

Poland ranks sixth in the world when it comes to the number of illegal files available for downloading, and second when it comes to downloading games, shows a report by Symantec.

The most popular Polish sites for downloading Chomikuj.pl and Torrenty.org are visited by about two million internet users monthly.

Internet piracy is so common in Poland that people do not hesitate to download films or music even in workplaces. "In some companies there are unofficial `film rentals', where employees share movies they had downloaded," Maciej Karmolinski from AuditPro tells the Gezeta Wyborcza daily. The company has scanned over 50,000 computers in offices, banks and companies and detected many illegal files.

Software producers themselves have lost over 580 million dollars because of Polish internet pirates, shows a report by Business Software Alliance.

But the music and film industry is fighting back. The Association of Audio-Video Producers (ZPAV) has applied to courts to punish 800 internet users who had made 2,5 million music files accessible. Some internet pirates got suspended sentence, others had to pay several-thousand fines.

[Bonobo]

Dyngus Day fraud reported
By Stan Maddux
Munster (IL) Times
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
LAPORTE | Police in LaPorte suspect a man celebrating Dyngus Day stole a bank card to purchase more alcohol.
According to LaPorte police, a woman was alerted Monday night by her bank that her account was just fraudulently tapped into.
The bank caught the transaction at Bottle Shop at Ind. 2 and Andrew Avenue for two cases of beer and bottle of hard liquor.
Police said a surveillance tape from the store shows the stolen card was used by a man the woman recognized as a former co-worker.
The woman told police she also had seen the man at one of the local bars participating in the Dyngus Day festivities.
Dyngus Day is a Polish holiday originally intended to celebrate with food and drink the end of lent, a time of fasting.
No arrest was made but the case is still being investigated, police said.

[Bonobo]

Poland: Author's conviction upheld in murder case
Associated Press
2009-05-13

A Polish court has upheld the conviction and 25-year sentence of an author found guilty of masterminding a killing similar to one described in a novel he wrote.
Krystian Bala was convicted in 2007 of directing the murder of his wife's alleged lover. The man's body was discovered in a river in 2000 with his hands bound behind his back and a noose around his neck.

Bala says he is innocent and appealed.

But an appeals court in Wroclaw on Wednesday upheld the conviction.

Authorities made no headway in the case until they learned of a 2003 novel by Bala that describes the murder of a woman who had her hands bound behind her back and a noose around her neck.

Judges never determined who carried out the actual killing.

[uncltim]

Does the term "insanity" come to mind for anyone else?

-Tim

[Bonobo]

May 19, 2009 21:23:59 GMT 1 uncltim said:

Does the term "insanity" come to mind for anyone else?
-Tim

This is quite ambiguous. ;D ;D Just in case, I provide the full report:

www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1659460,00.html

Polish Murder Stranger Than Fiction





In his debut 2003 novel Amok, Polish author Krystian Bala describes the torture and murder of a young woman whose hands are bound behind her back with a cord that is then looped to form a noose around her neck. According to a judge's ruling this week in the western Polish city of Wroclaw, Bala was drawing not on his imagination for that scene, but on his own experience.

The author, 34, has been sentenced to 25 years in jail for having a role in the murder of a Polish businessman whose body was discovered in the river Oder with a cord binding his hands behind his back that was also looped into a noose around his neck. "The evidence gathered gives sufficient basis to say that Krystian Bala committed the crime of leading the killing," the judge, Lidia Hojenska, told a packed courtroom. She added: "There are certain shared characteristics between the book's narrator and the author."

Prosecutor Liliana Lukasiewicz told TIME that the sentence, in her view, fits the crime. "We are satisfied," she said. Bala, who has protested his innocence and who contends that the details in his book were gleaned from press reports, is planning to appeal, according to his lawyer.

The verdict caps months of intense speculation in Poland about Bala's role in one of the grisliest murder cases in recent memory. The body of the victim, Dariusz Janiszewski, showing signs of torture, was discovered by fishermen in the river Oder four weeks after he went missing in 2000. But police were unable to make progress in their investigation, and six months later they shelved the case. The publication of Amok, a sex-driven potboiler about a group of sadists recounting their exploits and taunting police revived speculation about the murder. But it was another two years before an anonymous tip-off about the contents of the book prompted police to reopen their investigation.

In their arguments, prosecutors said that Janiszewski was believed to be seeing Bala's ex-wife at the time of the businessman's disappearance. (Bala has denied knowing him.) They also noted similarities between the character Chris in the novel, and the author, who also goes by that nickname while traveling abroad and in email communications. In addition, police traced the sale of the victim's mobile phone on an Internet auction site four days after his disappearance to an account registered to Bala. And they said that a phone card was used to place calls to the victim on the morning of his disappearance as well as to Bala's girlfriend and parents.

In Amok, which has turned out to be a best-seller in Poland, Chris is never caught and gets away with murder. Fiction imitated life, it would seem, but only so far.

[uncltim]

Thanks, That makes more sense now.

[Bonobo]

Warsaw sniper shoots for sport
Polish Radio
26.05.2009

"I was shooting for sport," states 21-year-old Piotr S., arrested today for shooting a rifle out the window of his apartment at a billboard.

The shots landed very close to the sidewalk and a worker at a nearby construction site nearly got shot.

The worker at the construction site on Olbrachta Street in Warsaw's Wola district was shocked when a shot landed just several metres from him. When he determined which direction the shots were coming from and that they were being fired from a hidden shooter, he telephoned for the police.

Several patrol units responded to the site immediately. It was not difficult to determine the trajectory of the shots and where Piotr S. was hidden as the shooter had riddled the billboard with dozens of shots.

Piotr S. maintained that he was shooting for sport was taken into custody.

[Bonobo]

British millionaire suspected of battering girlfriend to death in luxury Paris hotel was bankrupt

By Julie Moult, Emily Andrews and Peter Allen
29th May 2009

dailymail.co. uk

Police are hunting a British businessman after his lover was bludgeoned to death in one of the most prestigious hotels in Paris.

Ian Griffin fled the £1,000-a-night Hotel Bristol in his grey Porsche 911 and was thought to be heading to the French Riviera.

The naked body of Kinga Legg, 36, was discovered in a bathtub by cleaners on Tuesday evening. She was covered in bruises and the bedroom had been trashed.

Police revealed Mr Griffin, 40, was bankrupt - and may have been living off his rich girlfriend, a wealthy businesswoman who ran tomato export business Vegex . Her clients included Tesco and McDonald's.

The pair lived in a £4million mansion on the exclusive Oxshott Crown Estate, in Surrey, home to several Chelsea footballers.

Polish millionairess Kinga Legg: She was murdered at the Hotel Bristol in Paris

Miss Legg, who was originally from Poland, had paid a year's rent up front when she moved into the house with her boyfriend and a pet dog in September.

On the surface, the pair lived a privileged and extravagant lifestyle and appeared to have no shortage of money.

Neighbours described seeing Mr Griffin driving his 'boys' toys' - a quad bike and his Porsche - around the estate.

However, police suspect that the source of the couple's wealth was Miss Legg while Mr Griffin, who is originally from Warrington, in Cheshire, embarked on a string of ventures, some of which failed.

He is the former boss of a telecoms company and at one stage headed a website and chain of shops called GadgetMasters launched in 2000. At one stage he boasted of having a turnover of £2.5m.

But by 2006 - the year he met Miss Legg - he was in financial difficulty and was declared bankrupt at Warrington county court.

He was once held in prison in Madrid over fraud allegations.

Detective Henri Moreau, of the French Brigade Criminal, said: 'Apparently Griffin did not do much in the way of earning a living.

'It is possible that he lived off her. (He) had a bad business record and was known for bankruptcy.

`British police are inquiring into his background . . . The couple clearly had a lot of money.'

Before moving in with Miss Legg, Mr Griffin lived at a mansion in a country lane in Knutsford, Cheshire. Neighbours described him as 'flash'.

'He left in a real hurry,' one said.

'There must have been at least a dozen people knocking on our door asking for him. He loved cars.

'He made a race track and would drive a Bentley round it like an old banger. He also drove a Mercedes into a swimming pool. He was a weird character.'

Miss Legg's former husband Peter said he was stunned by the 'terrible' murder.

The pair met when Mr Legg, who worked for Preston Borough Council, was sent to Poland on an exchange trip

They fell in love and exchanged regular letters before she decided to emigrate to the UK where they later married at Blackpool Registry Office in 1996.

The couple lived for a time in Cheshire, but separated from her husband after about two years.

Last night, Mr Griffin's father Bernard expressed his shock at events in France.

Speaking from his £1million home near Warrington, he said: 'I have not seen my son for a while. I know of Kinga but I know nothing about this incident in Paris.'
The exclusive Hotel Bristol in Paris: Police are hunting British businessman Ian Griffin after his girlfriend, Kinga Legg, was battered to death in one of the rooms

It is believed Miss Legg checked into the Hotel Bristol alone on Monday before being joined by her boyfriend on Tuesday morning.

A room service bill showed the pair had drunk copious amounts of alcohol, including several bottles of champagne.

But it appears a row broke out. Local media reports suggest she may have tried to end the relationship.

When cleaners entered the room in the evening, they discovered furniture had been smashed and a curtain pole had been pulled off the wall.

They also found Miss Legg's body dumped in the bath. The walls of the room were smeared with blood.

An autopsy later revealed that she was beaten to death. There was no weapon used except pieces of furniture.

A police source said: 'The woman was hit repeatedly, perhaps with a lamp stand or some other blunt tool. Nobody heard any shouts or screams.'

As the search for the fugitive Mr Griffin continued, officers revealed how he had left the hotel without checking out.

They said he had hung a 'Do not disturb' sign on the door before calmly instructing the concierge to bring his British-registered Porsche 911 to the front entrance.

'He hopped into his car and headed off,' a source said. 'There was no indication that the woman was lying in a pool of blood in the hotel bath.

'She could have remained like that for days, but a cleaning maid became suspicious when light knocks were continually ignored.

`The maid was trained to ignore "Do not Disturb" signs when they had been on the door handle for too long, and that's why she went inside.

`What she saw was absolutely terrifying, and she alerted her managers straight away.'

Ms Legg, believed to be very wealthy, was the head of a large Polish tomato export company called Vegex

A police spokesman said: 'We understand the woman had been seeing her boyfriend for about three years.

'They had had a turbulent time recently and she left for a few days' break in Paris. It appears the boyfriend followed her and visited her in her room at the Bristol hotel.'

Officers believe Mr Griffin could be headed for the Cote d'Azur where Miss Legg had a luxury yacht.

A spokesman for the French Riviera force described him as 'dangerous and volatile' and urged members of the public not to approach him.

'Port and harbour authorities have also been told to stay alert for anyone matching his description, ' he said.

It emerged that Mr Griffin may have left the hotel up to 12 hours before Miss Legg's body was discovered.

The time lapse would have given him chance to drive into any neighbouring country or get on a ferry back to Britain.

Many crossings in mainland Europe are unmanned.

Back in Britain, Cheshire Police confirmed they were helping with the investigation.

'We are aware of the French murder inquiry relating to the death of Kinga Legg,' a spokesman said.

'We are also aware that the investigation may have links to the Cheshire area and we are making inquiries at premises linked to individuals within the case.

'Surrey Police are making similar inquiries at an address in Surrey. At this point in the investigation it would not be appropriate to go into more detail.'

HAVEN FOR THE RICH AND FAMOUS

The Bristol is one of Paris's most exclusive hotels, close to the Elysee Palace and British Embassy.

Opened in 1925, it has always been a luxury establishment catering for the rich and famous and has four stars - the top rating awarded to hotels in France.

Unsurprisingly, it also has a rich history - and a lavish collection of furniture and furnishings including Gobelins tapestries and 'spare' paintings sold off by the Louvre.
bristol paris
During the Second World War it was the official residence for American citizens in occupied Paris and also provided sanctuary for Jewish architect Leman.

He was able to supervise improvements at the hotel - including the intricate metal grilles in public areas - from his room.

Famous guests have included Harry Truman, Charlie Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe.

Tony and Cherie Blair had dinner with Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni at the hotel two years ago while Bruce Willis, Johnny Depp and Pamela Anderson have also stayed there.

In 2004, George Clooney treated the cast of Ocean's 12 to a £2,000 feast of champagne and foie gras in the hotel's Restaurant d'Eté.

[Bonobo]

Cement stiffens Polish Viagra
thenews.pl
17.06.2009
Ninety charges have been brought against an inhabitant of the northern city of Elk who sold cement mixed with medicine supposed to enhance sexual potency.
The medicine contained a mixture of cement and sildenafil, a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction, also known by the trade name `Viagra'.
Jan N., a 44-year-old from Elk, traded fake Viagra for two years via the internet. The cost of one pill was 25-35 zlotys.
Although the medicine was not fit for its purpose, after lab trials the pills did not cause any harmful side effects.
Jan N. may face up to eight years in prison. Police are searching for his clients to inform of them of the pills' contents and collect witnesses for the prosecution.

___________________________________________________

Poland locks up most prisoners in EU
thenews.pl
24.06.2009

There are more prisoners in Poland's jails than in any other EU member state, shows a report by Eurostat.

Between 2005 and 2007, there were on average 607,000 people in prison in the European Union, which is an equivalent to around 123 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants.

The highest average prisoner rates were recorded in Poland (228 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants) and the Baltic countries: Lithuania (232), Latvia (293) and Estonia (302).

The lowest rates were registered in Slovenia (60) and Scandinavian countries: Finland (68), Denmark (71) and Sweden (77).

Out of 607,000 prisoners in the European Union 90,200 are jailed in Poland, which is almost the same number as in Turkey (90,730 prisoners). Meanwhile, in Germany, which has twice the population of Poland`s, there are fewer prisoners (73,320). Worldwide the biggest amount of people held in prison is in the US (2,375,620).

[valpomike]

It shows that Poland controls, or tries to control crime. What part of them are in for drugs?
Here in the states, many are in for drugs.

Mike

[Bonobo]

It is believed in some parts of Poland that dog fat helps to cure many ailments, I don`t know exactly what. Stray or kept dogs are still killed by amateur doctors for fat.
A dog fat factory was raided by the police. They found a few dozen specially fattened dogs and many bottles with fat looking substance. The peasant family which ran the production sold fat on the premises.
One bottle may cost 150 zlotys.

www.tvn24.pl/12690,1613393,,,zabijali-psy-na-smalec,wiadomosc.html







The pics remind me of the Silence of the Lambs.

Horror, horror, said Kurtz.

[valpomike]

Have you tried it yet? What is to do, and how?

Mike

[Bonobo]

Mike, who could do it?


Vandalism mars Dozynki festivities
Sunday, August 23, 2009
FREESIA SINGNGAM
New Britain Herald

NEW BRITAIN — The Polish community's 29th annual Dozynki, which translates to harvest festival, was vandalized Sunday morning and left with soda cans and napkins all over the ground, tents knocked over and cooking equipment thrown around, police said.

The vandalism occurred around 1 a.m., and there are no suspects or witnesses.

Christopher Baran, chairman of the festival and treasurer of the Polish-American council, said the festival lost some vendors because of the vandalism because their equipment was either destroyed or their things were stolen. As chairman of the festival, he was called in to both clean the mess up and give the police report.

"It looked like a hurricane came through this place," he said, describing the scene. He said the mess took from 8:30 to 11:45 a.m. to clean up, even with a lot of volunteers coming out.

Dozynki was held Saturday and Sunday and featured traditional Polish foods, live music, vendors and games and inflatables for children.

Baran said that the Polish community invites everyone out to celebrate this event for "two days out of the year," and he couldn't believe that someone would do something so terrible to it.

"When I got here, I was teary-eyed," he said, adding that he couldn't even describe how upset he was. "It's that frustrating, " he said.

Baran said he'd be willing to give someone a cash reward for more information on this crime. While he didn't have more details on that reward quite yet, he said he doesn't want a lot of calls with small tips — he just wants to know who's responsible.

"If somebody gets me the information I need, I'm gonna make sure they get a cash reward," he said.

He added, however, that he wanted to thank all the volunteers who came out to clean up the mess. He said half the people at the festival didn't even know that it was vandalized because the volunteers were able to get it cleaned up.

************ ********* ********* ********* **

Police looking for Dozynki vandals
Monday, August 24, 2009
By LISA BACKUS
New Britain Herald

NEW BRITAIN — Police are looking for the vandals who knocked over tents and strewed garbage about the Polish community’s 29th annual Dozynki festival early Sunday.

The festival featuring traditional Polish food and culture came off Saturday without a hitch. But when organizers arrived early Sunday to get ready to reopen, they discovered numerous acts of vandalism including napkins and soda cans thrown about the festival grounds and tents and cooking equipment damaged.

The vandalism occurred about 1 a.m., and there are no suspects or witnesses.

Though organizers and numerous volunteers spent between 8:30 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. cleaning up, some of the vendors couldn’t open Sunday due to the damage.

Police said they have gathered evidence that they will be processing and are investigating the incident.

Anyone who may have information about the vandalism is asked to call the police department at [phone].

[Bonobo]

In Opole, a man threatened a woman with a knife and robbed her purse after she left the bank. He was detained by a plain-clothes policemen patrolling the area.

[Bonobo]

Two teenage brothers were sentenced to 8 hours social work a month for half a year. They had staged and filmed brutal games with a small cat.
www.tvn24.pl/-1,1620768,0,1,skazani-za-cierpienie-kota,wiadomosc.html

[Bonobo]

A 21 yo man was sentenced to 14 years. In 2008 he squeezed his 2 mo baby daughter`s head and threw her against a stove. The baby was seriosuly injured in the head but survived thanks to quick operation.

In the court the man started cursing the judge with sons of .... and hammering on the glass of his cage.

See the police taking him away.
www.tvn24.pl/12690,1595627,0,1,atak-furii-niedoszlego-zabojcy,wiadomosc.html

[valpomike]

14 years is not long enough for him. What kind of a person does this?

Mike

[Bonobo]

Poland fined for overcrowded prison cells
thenews.pl
23.10.2009

The European Court of Human Rights has awarded 3,000 euros and 3,500 euros respectively to two Polish prisoners, who complained of overcrowding cells in Poland.

One of the complainants, is 34 year old Norbert O. currently detained at Koszalin prison, in northern Poland, while Krzysztof O. (38) in a remand centre in Wroclaw, south-western Poland.

He complains that during imprisonment he was kept in four different detention centers and had less than the statutory 3 square meters of space per person in cells.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled that the serious and chronic nature of prison overcrowding is a violation of article three of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits inhuman or degrading treatment.

Not only were the detainees deprived of a humanitarian amount of space, but they also lacked exercise, privacy and salubrious conditions in prison, the judges said.

The prison service admitted that due to overcrowding prisoners could not be given the statutory amount of space but dismissed their complaints as ill-founded on the grounds of a legal regulation, allowing the prison governor to reduce the cell area to below the required meters per detainee.

Statistics released by the prison authorities show that on average the prison population stands at 110 percent.

Presently, more than 160 complains have been lodged against Poland with the Strasbourg court concerning overcrowding in Polish prisons.

[Bonobo]

Poland fined for overcrowded prison cells
thenews.pl
23.10.2009

The European Court of Human Rights has awarded 3,000 euros and 3,500 euros respectively to two Polish prisoners, who complained of overcrowding cells in Poland.

One of the complainants, is 34 year old Norbert O. currently detained at Koszalin prison, in northern Poland, while Krzysztof O. (38) in a remand centre in Wroclaw, south-western Poland.

He complains that during imprisonment he was kept in four different detention centers and had less than the statutory 3 square meters of space per person in cells.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled that the serious and chronic nature of prison overcrowding is a violation of article three of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits inhuman or degrading treatment.

Not only were the detainees deprived of a humanitarian amount of space, but they also lacked exercise, privacy and salubrious conditions in prison, the judges said.

The prison service admitted that due to overcrowding prisoners could not be given the statutory amount of space but dismissed their complaints as ill-founded on the grounds of a legal regulation, allowing the prison governor to reduce the cell area to below the required meters per detainee.

Statistics released by the prison authorities show that on average the prison population stands at 110 percent.

Presently, more than 160 complains have been lodged against Poland with the Strasbourg court concerning overcrowding in Polish prisons.

[Bonobo]

Man stabbed friend in row over sausages
thisishullandeastri ding.co.uk
Tuesday, November 03, 2009

A man stabbed his friend in an argument over a packet of sausages.

Szymon Belzak, 23, stabbed his friend Andre Andros in the shoulder after they argued over who owned the sausages they had bought during a drunken shopping trip in Hull.

Jailing Belzak at Hull Crown Court, Judge Roger Thorn QC said a message needed to be sent out that people who carry knives will be locked up.

Mr Andros had been at the home he shared with Belzak in Clifton Street, west Hull, on July 11.

He had drunk two bottles of vodka before Belsak returned and then the two of them shared a third bottle of vodka.

They then went shopping. When the two Polish nationals got home they began arguing about who had bought the sausages.

Prosecutor Mark McKone said: ""The defendant grabbed him by the shoulder and they began punching each other in the kitchen of the house.

"After about five minutes, Andre appeared to be getting the upper hand in the fight.

"Belzak then grabbed the knife from the work top and hit Andre in the back of the right shoulder."

Another resident tried to pull him away but was unsuccessful.

The other resident rang a friend who could speak English and asked him to call the police and an ambulance.

The defendant then left the house but returned after 15 minutes to find Mr Andros throwing his possessions out of the window.

The fight then continued outside and the police arrived.

On his arrest, Belzak told the police he was knocked to the floor by his friend and used the knife to free himself.

He pleaded guilty to wounding and has been jailed for a year and four months.

Judge Thorn QC said: "You know I have to send you to prison. Knife crime is endemic in this country and those who use a knife to stab other people must know that they face an immediate prison sentence.

"I accept that you yourself were attacked in this case, but it was you who picked up the knife and then used it.

"The aggravating feature in this case is the drink involved. In your case vodka.

"A drunk man wielding a knife of this nature cannot be sure about the gravity of the injuries they will cause."

[valpomike]

You see why I don't drink, or be around those who do. They drink and do dumb things.

Mike

[Bonobo]

Nov 9, 2009 1:49:48 GMT 1 valpomike said:

You see why I don't drink, or be around those who do. They drink and do dumb things.

Mike

Fighting for Polish sausage isn`t a dumb thing. I perfectly understand those guys - I would do the same. Home made kilebasa - yumming!!!

[Bonobo]

Shoplifting on the risethenews.pl
12.11.2009

Poles are amongst Europe's biggest shoplifters, with retail losses due to theft measuring 5 billion zloty (1.2 billion euro), according to the latest Global Retail Theft Barometer report.

The report, prepared by the British Centre for Retail Research, shows that between June 2008-June 2009, Polish retailers report 1.2 billion euro in losses due to theft and internal loss, which amounts to 1.42 percent loss on earnings, up from 1.36 from the previous year.

Poland stands amongst Europe's highest rate of loss due to theft and is surpassed only by Turkey (1.67 percent), the Czech Republic (1.47 percent), Hungary (1.45 percent), Slovakia (1.45 percent) and the Baltic States (1.44 percent).

The Global Retail Theft Barometer shows that 40 percent of losses in Polish stores comes from external theft which 35.6 percent comes from dishonest employees, while the rest is attributed to various mistakes in shipping, cataloguing, storage and the like.

"Unfortunately, this is a serious problem. There are, undoubtedly, many factors that contribute shoplifting: from growth in unemployment to a feeling of being able to get away with it," says Wojciech Kruszewski, head of the firm Lewiatan Holdings, a large network of franchises throughout Poland.

Shoplifting goods with a value up to 250 zloty (about 60 euro) warrants only a fine while stolen goods valued at higher than 250 zloty face a criminal court proceeding.

[valpomike]

But the USA is above Poland, and I would have guessed it.
You see it here every day. Some come from other cities to do it here, in my area.

Mike

[Bonobo]

France, Poland: Speed Cameras Blinded
Vigilantes blind two speed cameras in France and one in Poland with spray paint.

Blinded speed camera, PolandThree speed cameras in France and Poland were blinded with spraypaint this week. In Slupsk County in northwestern Poland, vigilantes used white spraypaint to cover the lenses of a photo radar machine. Officials expect to repair the device, located near a bus stop, by the end of next week, GP24 reported.

In Haute-Loire, France, vigilantes chose to decorate a camera using hot pink spraypaint on Wednesday. The automated ticketing machine had only been installed weeks before on the N88 near Saint-Paul-de-Tartas and had not yet completed its testing phase, according to Le Progres newspaper. On Tuesday, vigilantes in the south of France selected neon yellow paint to disable the automated surveillance device ironically placed on the Avenue of Liberty in Montpellier, Midi Libre reported.

[Bonobo]

Incredible news surfaced. A Polish senator is going to be charged with drug possession. He inhaled cocaine during a party with two prostitutes at his house last year. Later on he was blackmailed and paid 500.000 zlotys for keeping it secret. Now he decided to fight back and reported the case to the police. The blackmailers were detained but the video of the senator was revealed by a tabloid. The senator is totally stoned, wearing a floral dress. Pros swear in the background.

[valpomike]

As it is here in the USA, every day, this goes on, but many don't get caught.

Mike

[Bonobo]

Dec 11, 2009 20:53:13 GMT 1 valpomike said:

As it is here in the USA, every day, this goes on, but many don't get caught.
Mike

Mike, as a PI, you must have fascinating stories of Chicago senators caught in the act to share. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Bonobo]

Polish politician wanted in Germany
14.12.2009 17:30

The German Prosecutor’s Office has issued a warrant of arrest for Jan Maria Rokita, former Civic Platform MP, in relation to an incident on an airplane.

“If Mr. Rokita comes to Germany, he will immediately be arrested,” said Ralph Reiter from the Prosecutor’s Office in the Bavarian city of Landshut.

Rokita is wanted by the German justice system because he failed to pay a 3,000 euro fine for misconduct on board a Lufthansa plane in February 2009. If Jan Maria Rokita enters German territory, he will either have to pay the fine or will be arrested for 30 days. As long as the Polish politician stays outside Germany, he can avoid punishment.

The warrant was prompted by an incident in February 2009, when the prominent politician Jan Maria Rokita was detained by German police at Munich airport after he caused a row on board of Lufthansa plane. Reportedly, Rokita placed his clothing in the wrong overhead compartment, which sparked a conflict with the stewardess. The politician and his wife were to fly on that plane from Munich to Poland but, after the row, Rokita was escorted off the plane and back to the airport in handcuffs.

In August, the Prosecutor’s Office in Landshut, southern Germany, accused the Polish politician of misconduct and punished him with a 3,000 euro fine, which has not yet been paid.


Dear guys, if you are Polish, remember, never fly Lufthansa Airlines. Poles are treated badly there! Typical Polish propensity to anarchy is disliked by Germans working for Lufthansa! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Save me, Germans are beating me!

[Bonobo]

Who stole Auschwitz "Arbeit macht frei" sign?
21.12.2009 18:38

Police photo released to press showing moment of arrest.




Four of the five men who are alleged to have stolen the Auschwitz "Arbeit macht frei" sign were interrogated by prosecutors today. If guilty they face up to ten years in prison.

The fifth man, thought to be the ring leader of the gang who were detained by police late last night will be interviewed later, says the prosecutor’s office.

The "Arbeit macht frei" sign, which was stolen last Friday, was found in woodland in three pieces near Torun, 500 kilometres from the Auschwitz site and near the home of one of the accused.

The whereabouts of the priceless sign which hung over Gate I was given to the police in a tip off by one of over 120 calls they received over the weekend.

At a press conference at the Regional Police Headquarters in Krakow, officials stressed that the investigation is still ongoing and it is too early to give all the details in fear of prejudicing a court trial.

“The suspects are from the Kujawsko-Pomorskie region in northern Poland,” Marek Woźniczka, deputy commander of the Malopolska provincial police told a press conference. “They are between 20 and 39 years; one of them owns a construction company, the others are unemployed.”

Two men were arrested in a car in Gdynia on the Baltic coast, the other three at a residence near Wloclawek near Torun. None of the accused resisted arrest, say police.

According to Jaroslaw Mensfelt, a lawyer acting for the Auschwitz museum, it is difficult to say when the sign will be back in its rightful place but repairs could make it ready for the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp on January 27. “It‘s up to the conservators,” he said.

“The Auschwitz-Birkenau wishes to express great appreciation and thanks to the police, which after several hours found the most important symbol of the twentieth century,” said Bartosz Bartyzel from the press office of the Auschwitz museum.

According to experts interviewed by Polskie Radio today, the thieves were probably acting on behalf of a Nazi memorabilia collector. In their view, the sign would be difficult to sell on the black market without a previously agreed contract.

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Police display stolen Auschwitz sign
22.12.2009 19:16

Police make arrest yesterday

Krakow Police displayed today the Auschwitz "Arbeit macht frei" sign, broken into three pieces and twisted out of shape.

When four thieves stole the sign last Friday, the thieves left behind the final "i" of the word "frei," police spokesman Dariusz Nowak told a news conference, adding that the sign is now being examined by forensic scientists.

“We did not reveal all this information before because we took into account that the suspects may ask for ransom. Only the real thieves could have known that the letter "i" was missing,” he said.

He also confirmed that the sign was stolen for money and no ideological purpose appears to have been a motive for the theft which outraged many inside and outside Poland.

Three of the three suspects accompanied investigators to the scene of the crime this morning. Two of the suspects are apparently not cooperating with enquiries.

The Swedish connection?

Reports also emerged today that the thieves had told police that they committed the crime after being contracted to do by a buyer in Sweden, who had offered 20,000 euros for the sign.

The "Arbeit macht frei" sign, which was stolen last Friday, was found in woodland in three pieces near Torun, 500 kilometres from the Auschwitz site and near the home of one of the accused.

Five men are currently in police custody. Four of them are suspected of stealing the sign from Gate 1 at the site of the former Auschwitz Nazi death camp where over one million perished.