Police officer sentenced to eight year prison term for clubbing teenager to death

A police officer who killed a 13-year-old soccer hooligan has been sentenced to eight years in prison. The jury decided there were no health obstacles to prevent the convicted from serving the full sentence. So far the doctors have been of the opinion that the officer was suffering from deep stress and could not be put in jail. It is not clear where and when the police officer will serve his sentence since there is a chance of appeal. The police officer killed the boy when a group of soccer hooligans were crossing the street at red light in Slupsk in April 1998. The police intervened and one of the boys was hit with a baton and killed. Three days of rioting in the city followed the incident. (Gazeta Wyborcza May 6-7, page 4) J.K.