The convicted man, Stefan Wilmont, "committed a crime without precedent in modern Polish history," Judge Aleksandra Kaczmarek said, delivering the verdict at the District Court in Gdańsk, northern Poland, shortly after 10 a.m.
"Stefan Wilmont (pictured) committed a crime without precedent in modern Polish history," the trial judge said on Thursday. Photo: PAP/Adam Warżawa
Judge Aleksandra Kaczmarek. Photo: PAP/Adam Warżawa
She added that Wilmont would serve his sentence in a special rehabilitation programme and could become eligible for parole after 40 years.
Stefan Wilmont (pictured at the District Court in Gdańsk, northern Poland) was on Thursday sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing Gdańsk Mayor Paweł Adamowicz. He could become eligible for parole after 40 years, the court said. Photo: PAP/Adam Warżawa
The verdict is subject to appeal, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
Magdalena Adamowicz (left), Paweł Adamowicz's widow, attends the trial at the District Court in Gdańsk on Thursday. Photo: PAP/Adam Warżawa
Paweł Adamowicz, 53, died on January 14, 2019 from severe stab wounds inflicted by Wilmont during a high-profile charity event in Gdańsk a day earlier.
He underwent a five-hour operation but doctors were unable to save him.
Adamowicz had been the city's mayor for more than 20 years. His violent death shocked the country.
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Source: IAR, PAP