Murdered... just because he was Polish
Factory worker beaten to death
A POLISH factory worker has died after he was subjected to a vicious beating by a teenage mob in a suspected hate crime.
Arek Jozwik, 40, had gone with two friends to buy pizzas when they were set upon by a gang.
He suffered serious head injuries on Saturday night and died in hospital on Monday evening.
One of his friends, a 43-year- old Pole who has not been named, is still being treated for fractures to his hands and bruising to his stomach. The third man avoided serious injury after staff at the pizza takeaway dragged him inside to safety.
Locals complained yesterday that police have failed to do anything about a gang of up to 50 teenagers who hang around the area in Harlow, Essex, smoking cannabis and attacking passers-by. Mr Jozwik’s brother Radek, 36, said officers believed the crime was racially motivated. ‘The police have told us he was attacked because [the youths] heard him and his friends speaking the Polish language,’ he said.
‘He does not speak much English. One of the teenagers started and then seconds later there are ten or 12 people attacking him.’
A member of staff at TGF Pizza in The Stow area of the town, who asked not to be identified, said he told police, ‘You know who they are’ when asked for a statement.
‘I told them, “Everybody complains to you and you don’t respond”,’ he said. ‘Normal people who come shopping here get intimidated. We close at 1am and we open at 11am, yet they are still here – girls, boys, a mix. They are an out-of-control mob.’
Describing the ‘carnage’ after the attack, the staff member added: ‘He was in a really bad way. There was blood coming from his ear.
‘I pressed his hand but he was not responding. I did not expect him to recover from that.’
An off-licence owner accused local youths of being behind a string of attacks which had turned the precinct into a no-go area at night.
‘This was the third attack that I know of. They have attacked Polish people before, but English people too,’ he said. A local cafe worker added: ‘The teens sit outside here smoking weed and they don’t seem to care. They kick footballs at our window during the day and get abusive when we tell them off.
‘The police don’t have any presence here. They will put officers here now that there has been a murder but they will be gone again in a week’s time.’
Four 15-year- old boys and a 16year-old boy were arrested on Monday on suspicion of attempted murder. Following Mr Jozwik’s death they were re-arrested on suspicion of murder. All were released on police bail until October.
A sixth boy, aged 15, was arrested yesterday afternoon on suspicion of murder and held for questioning.
Mr Jozwik, who was single and had no children, arrived in the UK four years ago after his brother – a married father- of-two who came here in 2004 and now holds a British passport – said he could find work.
Essex Police said officers were aware of problems in the area, with seven reports of anti-social behaviour this month alone.
A spokesman said: ‘Officers and PCSOs have been carrying out daily patrols and gathering intelligence to identify the main culprits.’
‘They sit outside smoking weed’