| Revision as of 22:05, 10 September 2008 editPoeticbent (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers29,717 edits copyedit← Previous edit | Revision as of 00:24, 11 September 2008 edit undoDpmuk (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users10,211 edits Per consensus at AfD / talk page I've changed back to murderers etc. Have also removed comments about the appeal as sources are contradictory (see AfD). Please discuss at talk.Next edit → | ||
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| The '''"Skin Hunters"'''<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3323663.stm</ref> ("Łowcy skór" in ]) is the media ] for four hospital ] workers from the ] city of ], who |
The '''"Skin Hunters"'''<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3323663.stm</ref> ("Łowcy skór" in ]) is the media ] for four hospital ] workers from the ] city of ], who murdered at least five patients and sold information regarding their deaths to funeral homes. They were caught in 2002. Their descriptive designation was coined by a newspaper article which first brought the story to public attention. | ||
| ==Case== | ==Case== | ||
| On ] ] four workers from a Łódź casualty department were sentenced. Their sentences were upheld by the Łódź Appeal Court in June ].<ref> |
On ] ] four workers from a Łódź casualty department were sentenced. Their sentences were upheld by the Łódź Appeal Court in June ].<ref></ref> The perpetrators were shown to have killed mostly elderly patients using the muscle relaxant ] (brand name Pavulon).<ref>This is one of the drugs administered during a ] in the ]. It was also used by medical ] ].</ref> The four workers then sold information about the deceased patients to funeral homes, so they could contact the relatives before other funeral homes. The were paid bribes ranging from 12,000 to over 70,000 ].<ref name=warsawvoice>http://www.warsawvoice.pl/view/13662/</ref> | ||
| The |
The killers are: | ||
| * ] Andrzej N. was sentenced to life for the murder of four patients and for helping Karol B. in a further murder. | * ] Andrzej N. was sentenced to life for the murder of four patients and for helping Karol B. in a further murder. | ||
| * Paramedic Karol B. was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for the "particularly cruel" ("szczególnie okrutne") murder of "Ludmiła Ś." and for helping Andrzej N. murder other patients. | * Paramedic Karol B. was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for the "particularly cruel" ("szczególnie okrutne") murder of "Ludmiła Ś." and for helping Andrzej N. murder other patients. | ||
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| * Doctor Paweł W. was sentenced to five years and banned from practising medicine for 10 years for the wilful endangering of four patients. | * Doctor Paweł W. was sentenced to five years and banned from practising medicine for 10 years for the wilful endangering of four patients. | ||
| The investigation into the scandal is still ongoing. |
The investigation into the scandal is still ongoing. Nevertheless, a total of forty other members of the casualty department are under investigation,<ref>http://www.tvn24.pl/0,1559188,0,1,kolejni-lowcy-skor-za-kratami,wiadomosc.html</ref> as are the owners of a local funeral home for receiving information regarding the deaths of patients.<ref></ref>. The funeral home charged the costs of the bribes it paid to the bills that families of the deceased paid for their funerals.<ref name=warsawvoice/> | ||
| ==Discovery== | ==Discovery== | ||
Revision as of 00:24, 11 September 2008
The "Skin Hunters" ("Łowcy skór" in Polish) is the media nickname for four hospital casualty workers from the Polish city of Łódź, who murdered at least five patients and sold information regarding their deaths to funeral homes. They were caught in 2002. Their descriptive designation was coined by a newspaper article which first brought the story to public attention.
Case
On January 20 2007 four workers from a Łódź casualty department were sentenced. Their sentences were upheld by the Łódź Appeal Court in June 2008. The perpetrators were shown to have killed mostly elderly patients using the muscle relaxant pancuronium (brand name Pavulon). The four workers then sold information about the deceased patients to funeral homes, so they could contact the relatives before other funeral homes. The were paid bribes ranging from 12,000 to over 70,000 zloty.
The killers are:
- Paramedic Andrzej N. was sentenced to life for the murder of four patients and for helping Karol B. in a further murder.
- Paramedic Karol B. was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for the "particularly cruel" ("szczególnie okrutne") murder of "Ludmiła Ś." and for helping Andrzej N. murder other patients.
- Doctor Janusz K. was sentenced to six years and banned from practising medicine for 10 years, for wilfully endangering 10 patients.
- Doctor Paweł W. was sentenced to five years and banned from practising medicine for 10 years for the wilful endangering of four patients.
The investigation into the scandal is still ongoing. Nevertheless, a total of forty other members of the casualty department are under investigation, as are the owners of a local funeral home for receiving information regarding the deaths of patients.. The funeral home charged the costs of the bribes it paid to the bills that families of the deceased paid for their funerals.
Discovery
The scandal was first brought to public attention on January 23 2002 in an article in Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza by Tomasz Patora, Marcin Stelmasiak and Przemysław Witkowski. They described how the hospital workers or paramedics would call funeral homes regarding patient deaths in order to receive a bribe, and sometimes even killed patients. The dead patients were called "skins" and so the article was called "Skin Hunters" (Łowcy skór).
In popular culture
In 2003 a film, "Skin Hunters" ("Łowcy skór") was made of the case starring Piotr Adamczyk.
References
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3323663.stm
- gazetaprawna.pl
- This is one of the drugs administered during a lethal injection in the United States. It was also used by medical serial killer Efren Saldivar.
- ^ http://www.warsawvoice.pl/view/13662/
- http://www.tvn24.pl/0,1559188,0,1,kolejni-lowcy-skor-za-kratami,wiadomosc.html
- gazeta.pl
- http://serwisy.gazeta.pl/kraj/1,34384,656146.html gazeta.pl
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385061/