A man has been jailed for six years for the manslaughter of his lover’s husband in Tralee, Co Kerry a year ago.
Michal Kurowski (29), from Old Gallows Field, Tralee was convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury of the manslaughter of Michal Skotak (32) at Racecourse Lawn, Tralee on May 16th, 2009.
During a four day trial, the court heard Kurowski had stabbed his partner’s husband during a row after a First Holy Communion party for the deceased’s adopted child.
An electronics graduate, Kurowski came to Kerry in from Poland September 2005.
Mr Skotak and his wife Anna had separated in 2009 at which point Ms Skotak began a relationship with Kurowski, whom she met at the Aman Factory in Tralee where they both worked in 2008.
On the afternoon of the killing, Ms Skotak was driven by Kurowski to Racecourse Lawn, to collect her two children who had attended the party.
Mr Skotak came out of the house and down the driveway in an angry mood and broke the rear passenger-side window of Kurowski’s car. A fight ensued during which Kurowski, who was armed with a knife, stabbed the deceased three times in the chest.
When gardaí arrived at the scene Kurowski admitted using the knife and said he had been carrying the blade because of fear arising from threats he believed emanated from Mr Skotak.
In handing down the sentence, Mr Justice Paul Carney noted that the jury had unusually written into the verdict the specific ground on which they found Kurowski guilty of manslaughter.
The jury had, in a written note, indicated that he was guilty of manslaughter in self-defence having used more force than was reasonably necessary but no more force than he thought necessary.
Mr Justice Carney stressed the inherently grave nature of the offence and its effect on the victims. “When anyone equips themselves with a knife they are liable to end up using it to fatal effect,” he said.
The judge took note of the accused’s offer of a plea of guilty to manslaughter, put forward at the commencement of the trial, which had been refused by the DPP. He also noted Kurowski’s lack of previous convictions in Ireland and said he did not consider relevant his convictions for burglary and damaging property in Poland as he never incurred a prison sentence there.
The judge directed Kurowski be given credit for time served in custody while in remand.