2023-03-16 12:49 update: 2023-03-17, 20:04
Stefan Wilmont. Photo PAP/Adam Warżawa
The murderer of Pawel Adamowicz, the mayor of the Polish city of Gdansk, has been given a life sentence.
"Stefan Wilmot committed an unprecedented murder in Poland's history," Judge Aleksandra Kaczmarek said while presenting the justification of the verdict.
Adamowicz was stabbed during a charity concert in Gdansk on January 13, 2019, and died from his wounds in hospital the next day. Wilmot was arrested at the scene of the crime.
The attack, captured live on television, stunned Poland, and prompted accusations from opposition politicians that the alleged incendiary language of some of the country's leaders and pro-government media might have influenced the murderer.
Wilmot was sentenced to life in prison after a three-year-long investigation and a year-long trial which ended at a Gdansk court on Thursday.
The court also decided to reveal Wilmot's full name and image due to "the public nature of the crime and public opinion interest in the entire matter."
Wilmot also wanted his last name to be published; waving the right to anonymity Polish law affords to those on trial in Poland.
The court stated that Wilmot would be eligible for parole after 40 years in prison. (PAP)
