Murder of Daniel Pelka

Daniel Pelka

Pelka's symbolic grave at St. Paul's burial ground, Foleshill, Coventry
Born 15 July 2007 (2007-07-15)
Coventry, England
Died 3 March 2012(2012-03-03) (aged 4)
Coventry, England
Cause of death Head injury, child abuse
Resting place Łódź, Poland
Monuments Coventry, England
Nationality Polish
Known for Child abuse victim
Parent(s) Mariusz Krężołek (stepfather)
Magdalena Łuczak (mother)
Eryk Pelka (biological father)

The murder of Daniel Pełka occurred on 3 March 2012 in Coventry, England.[1] Daniel, 4, died of a head injury. His mother, Magdalena Łuczak (27), and her partner, Mariusz Krężołek (33), were found guilty of the murder on 31 July 2013. On 2 August 2013, both Łuczak and Krężołek were jailed for life with a minimum sentence of 30 years each.[2]

Daniel Pelka's biological parents, Łuczak and Eryk Pelka, separated in Coventry, and his father moved back to Poland when Daniel was a year old.[3]

Łuczak and Krężołek starved the child, beat him, locked him in a room, force-fed him salt, and put his head underwater in the bath. He weighed only one stone nine pounds (10.4 kg) when he died. Doctors described him as what looked like 'a concentration camp victim'.

On 14 July 2015, Łuczak was found unresponsive in her cell at about 07:15 BST and was pronounced dead.[4] An inquest held three days later revealed that Luczak had hanged herself one day before what would have been Daniel's eighth birthday.[5]

At about 08.30 on 27 January 2016, Krężołek was found dead in his prison cell at Full Sutton Prison.[6]

Daniel Pelka's memory is held by many people, including the Facebook page 'Justice For Daniel Pelka'. A group of people on the page will say good morning and good night to the boy and each other, each posting edits with lovely poems and photos of Daniel. The page shares videos and photos made in memory of the child to show respect to him.

Every year on his birthday, his death anniversary, Christmas and other special occasions, there is a memorial service for Daniel, held at his memorial at St Paul's Cemetery, Coventry. Many people bring toys, gifts, and cards for the boy to keep his memory alive, and it is frequently cleaned and looked after to keep it looking beautiful.

Legacy

In 2014 the indie rock band Little Comets released a song called "Salt", accompanied by a Youtube video, dedicated to the memory of Daniel Pelka.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Innocently running after the mother who would murder him: Haunting final image of boy, four, starved and beaten to death by parents as authorities looked the other way". Dailymail.co.uk. 8 January 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  2. ↑ "Daniel Pelka murder: Mother and partner given life". BBC News. 2 August 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  3. ↑ "Daniel Pelka: Sibling hid food for starved boy". BBC News. 31 July 2013.
  4. ↑ "Starved Daniel Pelka's mother dies in jail". bbc.co.uk. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  5. ↑ Daniel Pelka's 'cruel and brutal' mother 'hanged herself' BBC News. 17 July 2015. Retrieved December 5 2015.
  6. ↑ Daniel Pelka's killer found dead in prison BBC News. 29 January 2016. Retrieved January 29 2016.
  7. ↑ Little Comets – Salt (Official Video) on YouTube
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