Polish laws restrict media identifying Pawel Relowicz
MANY NEWS SITES HAVE HAD TO REFER TO HIM AS PAWEL R
PAWEL Relowicz is not being fully identified in his home country of Poland despite being convicted of the rape and murder of Libby Squire.
Many news sites in Poland have either pixelated or obscured pictures of Relowicz and refer to him simply as Pawel R.
But Relowicz is not receiving special treatment, as most other criminals, which feature in the news in Poland also fall under the same restrictions.
It seems Poland has much stricter privacy and data protection laws, which means criminals cannot be fully identified. That said, many photos of Relowicz are barely obscured, often with just a thin black strip across the eyes.
In the UK media outlets can legally name a suspect almost immediately although industry guidelines now stipulate a suspect should not be named until charged.
There may also be reporting restrictions ordered in certain cases.
Other countries also have laws which ensure criminals are not always identified straight away.
Relowicz will almost certainly be deported when he is finally released.
The 26-year-old was handed a life sentence for the murder of Libby Squire.
Justice Lambert told Relowicz he must serve 27 years behind bars before he will be considered for parole.
She sentenced him to 27 years for the murder and 18 years for rape, which will be served concurrently.
Any foreign national who commits a crime which results in a prison sentence of more than 12 months is likely to be deported.
While the Home Office will not comment on individual cases, a spokesman said: “Any foreign national who is convicted of a crime and given a prison sentence is considered for deportation at the earliest opportunity. Since January 2019, we have removed 6,450.”
As Relowicz’s sentence is more than four years, his deportation order would last indefinitely.