Panevėžian attacked by Polish hooligan ended up in the dock

2025-05-05 12:51 © ZUMAPRESS.com

A criminal case has been completed and transferred to court at the Panevėžys District Prosecutor's Office, in which a resident of Panevėžys District has been charged with the murder of a Polish citizen. The latter had arrived in the capital of Aukštaitija in the summer of 2024 to watch football matches, accompanied by several thousand Polish fans.

The pre-trial investigation in this case was conducted by officers from the Panevėžys County Chief Police Commissariat's Criminal Police Department for Serious Crimes, under the direction of Prosecutor Sandra Povilonienė from the Panevėžys District Prosecutor's Office.

The incident, which resulted in the man's death, occurred on July 23 of last year when the local "Panevėžys" and Bialystok (Poland) "Jagiellonia" football teams were competing.

According to the data from the pre-trial investigation, an aggressive 39-year-old Polish citizen engaged in a confrontation in the yard of a café near the stadium with a couple of Panevėžys residents. It is alleged that 34-year-old E.M. struck the Polish fan in the face. After the blow, the foreigner fell, hitting his head on the paving stones.

After leaving the fallen man, the Panevėžys residents got into their car and drove away. The café workers called for emergency medical assistance for the foreigner. He was taken to the Panevėžys Hospital's emergency department, but before doctors could examine him, he left the medical facility.

Three hours later, a police patrol in the city noticed the same foreigner a few kilometers away, sitting at a bus stop. Upon noticing signs of injury on his face, the officers took the man to the hospital's emergency department.

Investigations revealed that the Polish citizen had suffered a head injury. He was hospitalized, underwent surgery, but died on August 23.

The suspect E.M. was found and detained by the police the day after the incident involving the foreigner. The man confessed that he struck the stranger out of fear of being harmed himself. After the foreigner fell, E.M. and his friend left the scene, fearing an attack from other Polish fans.

After the victim died in the hospital, the pre-trial investigation was reclassified as murder. The Penal Code provides for a prison sentence of seven to fifteen years for anyone who murders another person.

The case has been transferred to the Panevėžys District Court for consideration.

According to the presumption of innocence, a person is considered innocent until their guilt is proven in accordance with the established legal procedure and recognized by a final court judgment.