Man Jailed For Pretending To Be Kidnapped To Skive Off Work

Trying to skive off work is nothing new. People go to extraordinary lengths to sneak one past the boss and get a day off.

However, one man went a touch too far when he pretended to be kidnapped in order to get out of a shift.

Mariusz Kaminski, from Poland, has been jailed after messaging his boss to say that he was being held against his will, sparking a huge police investigation and a search from friends.

In October 2017, the 36-year-old claimed he had been snatched after three men allegedly grabbed him and threw him in the back of a white BMW before later managing to escape.

But it turned out he hadn't been kidnapped at all, far from it. He had been messaging his manager from his own home.

The chef, who lives in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, has now been sentenced to 16 months in jail for making up the crazy story.

SWNS

Kaminski was convicted by a Swindon jury in February of perverting the course of justice and fraud by false representation.

During his trial, the court heard that the dad-of-one had fallen on hard times a few years back and had been forced to declare himself bankrupt.

Distraught after finding out one of his close friend's had died, Kaminski failed to turn up to work a number of times in October that year.

On 27 October, Kaminski opened up to his manager about his situation and his mounting debts.

It was the next day that he texted his boss, as well as a female friend he'd met in Swindon, saying that he'd been kidnapped.

It later emerged that he owed £1,500 ($2,000) to a man called Kenny.

The fake kidnap was later reported to Wiltshire Police, with officers launching a huge investigation into the alleged crime.

PA

After two men were interviewed about his disappearance, denying all knowledge, Kaminski owned up.

In mitigation, John Dyer asked Recorder Harris about the possibility of imposing a sentence that did not include immediate time in prison, noting that he had reconciled with his family and had the offer of work.

Mr Dyer said: "This is highly unusual, almost bizarre, unique. Mr Kaminski didn't commit this offence to get other people into trouble, to incriminate an innocent party, to interfere with or fabricate evidence to prevent his own prosecution.

"He had this foolish lie thrust upon him."

He added: "He was in too deep and couldn't bring himself to own up."

Sentencing him to 16 months in prison and ordering him to pay £1,750 ($2,400) compensation to his friend, Recorder Harris told Kaminski that there was no option but to jail him.

Recorder Harris said: "Those who commit this type of offence make bogus allegations as a result of which innocent people are harmed and resources expended [and] must expect immediate custodial sentences whatever the mitigation."

Topics: Police, UK News, Investigation, Chef, crime

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

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