Pair jailed for killing vulnerable homeless man Piotr Krowka in Maghera disused parochial house

Two men have been jailed for killing a vulnerable homeless man in Maghera in 2018. 

Adrian Kozak, aged 22, and 21-year-old Caolan Johnston, were teenagers when they beat 37-year-old Piotr Krowka to death.

Kozack, of Garvey Wood in Ballymena, was sent to prison for four years and Johnston, of The Fort, Maghera, was jailed for three years. The pair were ordered to serve the same time on licence.

Both pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Piotr Krowka was last seen alive at about 9pm on 31 March 2018 before police found his badly beaten body in a disused parochial house on 3 April.

At the time, police said they believed Mr Krowka "was sleeping rough in the derelict property” and that a post-mortem examination later revealed he suffered a violent death which had been caused by "blunt force trauma" to his head, chest, abdomen and left arm.

In a statement on Monday, PSNI Detective Inspector Davis said: “It was an unprovoked and violent attack, carried out by Adrian Kozak and Caolon Johnston, which resulted in the death of Piotr Krowka. 

"The results of the post mortem confirmed blunt force injuries to Piotr’s head, and other injuries to his body.

“Piotr was a vulnerable, homeless man – an innocent man who posed no threat or danger whatsoever.  

“This was a sad and senseless loss of a life, and my thoughts – and that of the investigation team – are very much with the Krowka family.

“Kozak and Johnston had been out for the evening, socialising with a group of friends, before the attack took place.

“I hope that both these young men will come to understand the consequences of their actions on that night as they spend the next number of years in prison.”

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