On Thursday, 3 November, the Crown Court in Leeds pronounced the sentence against the mother and her partner for the murder of their 15-year-old son. Sebastian Kalinowski endured abuse and cruelty for months at his home in Huddersfield.
The couple denied the murder yet were found guilty in July following a six-week trial at Leeds Crown Court. The jury only needed three hours and 39 minutes to reach a unanimous verdict against both defendants.
On Thursday, the court announced the long-awaited verdict. Agnieszka Kalinowska, 36, and Andrzej Latoszewski, 38, were sentenced to a minimum of 39 years in prison for the horrific murder of their 15-year-old son.
Sebastian’s staff, North Huddersfield Trust School in Fartown, described the teenager who came to the UK in 2020 from Poland as „a lovely boy” who was „shy”, „quiet” and „always nice”. His biological father lives in Poland. Sebastian was 15 at the time of his death, he was born on 15 July 2006. When he was four years old, in 2010, Kalinowska moved to Great Britain with her then-partner, and Sebastian lived in Poland with his father. In 2010, he moved to Great Britain to live with his mother and stepfather.
Video recordings captured by cameras that Latoszewski installed in the house to control Sebastian showed a prolonged beating, with the teenager crying and screaming. Sebastian was also stabbed with a needle many times by Latoszewski and Kalinowska. The couple also discussed how to torture him without leaving any marks on his body. Cameras were installed so that the couple could check on their cell phones that the boy was doing the physical exercises he was given.
Sebastian was forced to do exercises such as push-ups and sit facing the wall for hours. Latoszewski was an avid user of anabolic steroids and trained in martial arts and Thai boxing. In one of the 30-minute CCTV recordings played for the jury, Latoszewski is seen hitting the boy more than 100 times, pausing at one point to wipe the sweat from his face, while Kalinowska watched TV and ate toast.
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Sebastian died on 13 August 2021 after contracting sepsis caused by injuries from hundreds of punches, fractures, kicks, and knife stabs over months. Pathologist Dr Michael Parsons found 81 injuries on Sebastian’s body. There was a clot in the boy’s liver, the heart muscle was damaged, the ribs were broken in 28 places, and the body was covered with bruises and scabs. The doctor added that such injuries are only seen in car accident victims.
The lead investigator on the case, Tony Nicholson of the West Yorkshire Police, described it as „without doubt the most shocking case he has had in his 29 years of service.”
Judge Justine Lambert also gave each of the murderers a 9-year sentence for child cruelty, which will run parallel to their murder convictions.
Image: West Yorshire Police
Author: Daria Więcek (translated by Sébastien Meuwissen)
