Man Falsely Imprisoned For Rape And Murder Is Freed After 18 Years.

A man has been freed after spending 18 years behind bars for a crime he could not have committed. Tomasz Komenda, 42, was wrongly convicted of the brutal rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl in south-western Poland in 1997.


Following a review, Poland’s Supreme Court acquitted Mr Komenda and stated that he could not have been responsible for the slaying.
Justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro, who personally ordered a review of the case, said the acquittal shows that the mistakes of the justice system can be corrected. He said: “No -one can give back the years that Tomasz Komenda has lost. Still, the acquittal restores the sense of dignity of an innocent man who had been wrongly convicted.”
The case has shocked Poland, which is currently governed by the right-wing Law and Justice party. Campaigners say the trial and subsequent fallout poses serious questions about the country’s “dysfunctional” legal system.
The parents of the teen said they had developed doubts as to the guilt of the man and urged authorities to reexamine the conviction.
Mr Komenda was clearly emotional as the trial judge ruled he could now walk free.
He later said: “For the last 18 years I ha ve been asking myself: What have I done wrong to have my life turned into hell?”All that time, I was treated like filth.”
He claimed he is now undergoing psychological treatment following his ordeal.
The court’s decision focused on DNA evidence presented during the original trial in 2004 which was later proved to be unreliable. New advanced forensic techniques have subsequently exonerated Mr Komenda.