Telford murder trial jury told of efforts to save victim's life after broken bottle attack

Dawid Kurdziel, 23, had his carotid artery and jugular vein cut causing massive blood loss during an assault involving a broken bottle near the play park at Ketley Recreation Ground between midnight and 1am on Saturday, July 3, 2021.

Prosecutor Michelle Heeley told Stafford Crown Court that the accused Robert Wieczorkowski, 32, of Hurleybrook Way, Leegomery, Telford, had stabbed Mr Kurdziel with the broken bottle and murdered him.

Wieczorkowski, who is using the services of a translator in court, has denied murder and there is an alternative charge of manslaughter. His barrister says he acted in self defence.

After the incident Mr Kurdziel and his friends Przemyslaw (Prem) Tolcz and Karol Warzocha headed out of the park towards the Blue Elephant restaurant.

Mr Kurdziel had been bleeding profusely and Mr Warzocha had been holding a t-shirt against the wound to try to stem the flow of blood.

Driver Rob Hitchin, in a statement, said he had seen Mr Warzocha holding a bloodied tee-shirt against Mr Kurdziel's neck but that the victim had been "gargling and unconscious". He and Mr Tolcz had been calling 999 and receiving instructions from a phone operator.

When PC Kieran Gale, of Malinsgate Police Station, arrived at the Blue Elephant at the Holyhead Road crossroads at 1.03am, he saw Mr Kurdziel lying next to a "considerable pool of blood" some of which was "running down the pavement." Mr Tolcz had been "trying to get a response by calling his friend's name."

The moment when Mr Kurdziel collapsed at the junction box near the Blue Elephant was captured on CCTV and was played back to the jury. The are still has floral tributes at the spot where Mr Kurdziel fell.

PC Gale's statement said Mr Kurdziel had stopped breathing and he was given CPR.

"After two minutes he started breathing and had opened his eyes. CPR was stopped and he was placed in the recovery position," he said.

Paramedics from West Midlands Ambulance Service arrived at 1.08am and Mr Kurdziel went into cardiac arrest, the court heard. He was given CPR and then placed in the rear of an ambulance.

PC Peter Smith, also based at Malinsgate Police Station, in his statement, said an arrangement had been made for doctors to meet the ambulance at junction 4 of the M54, where it arrived at 1.50am. But at 1.58am the doctor confirmed that the man was deceased.

Defence counsel David Mason QC has been making a case that his client Wieczorkowski acted in self defence.

Under cross examination on Wednesday, one of Mr Kurdziel' friends, Karol Warzocha said a group of friends had been drinking to celebrate the end of their year at college on Friday, July 2, 2021.

During the evening he, Mr Kurdziel and others had been to Miller & Carter for a meal, the Liquor Lab for Porn Star Martini cocktails, and the Hop & Vine pub to watch the Italy versus Belgium tie in the Euro football championships.

They then went to the home of a friend in Nettlefolds, Hadley, where they went for more drinks and socialising.

While at their friend's home, where everyone else had iPhones, Mr Tolcz had left to collect his Samsung phone charger.

But on his four minute walk through the park on his 15 minute walk home, and later back, he received verbal abuse from a group of Polish speakers.

He had asked the group of three for a light but had been threatened, the court heard.

Mr Warzocha said: "Prem and I agreed to leave it but Dawid wanted to find out what's going on."

The jury heard a transcript of a conversation between the three friends which was picked up by a Ring doorbell in Manse Road. It involved Mr Tolcz unsuccessfully trying to convince his friend not to go to the park.

Mr Kurdziel was heard to say, in Polish: "I will have a scrap with him on my own."

When in the park the three friends were on the other side of a 4ft fence when the crucial incident happened in seconds. Mr Warzocha said something along the lines of "what's up?"

Mr Warzocha denied that Mr Kurdziel or anyone from their group had thrown a punch.

Mr Mason said that the three friends, but particularly Dawid, were "intent on revenge".

But Mr Warzocha insisted: "We wanted to talk the issue out. There was no aggression from our side. I wasn't intending on hitting anyone."

The jury also heard several witness statements read out in court.

One of Mr Kurdziel's best friends, Viktoria Kozian, had known him since school days at Hadley Learning Centre.

"He was a good man and would not do anything to anyone," she said. "He had no known enemies."

She had also overheard a phone call where Mr Kurdziel said: "What did he say? What did he say? I'm going over."

She added: "Prem is not good at fighting but Dawid is. I did not want him to go. I wanted him to be at my birthday party the next day."

The jury has also been told that the defendant fled to Aberdeen after the incident.

He was arrested in Birmingham when police found him in Handsworth on August 14.

The trial continues