Marcin Turczyński, known as “Turek,” the former head of Zatoka Sztuki in Sopot, is wanted by the police under a nationwide arrest warrant. “This is a disgrace for everyone—the court, the police, and the prosecution. They allowed the mastermind of the largest pedophilia scandal in the history of Pomerania to escape, a man who from the very beginning wrapped them around his finger. There is no explanation for this,” wrote Mikołaj Podolski on social media—the journalist who exposed and documented what was happening at Zatoka Sztuki.
The former head of Zatoka Sztuki in Sopot, Marcin Turczyński, stood trial as one of the co-defendants in proceedings described by the media as the “teenage girls’ hunter” case.
In December last year, the main defendant, Krystian W., known as “Krystek,” was sentenced with final effect to 15 years in prison, among other charges, for sexual crimes against teenage girls. The verdict against the former head of Zatoka Sztuki in Sopot—six years in prison—was also upheld.
In a closed trial, Turczyński was convicted of sexual offenses, including crimes against minors. Despite the court’s decision ordering the execution of the sentence, he failed to report to prison.
Sub-Inspector Anna Banaszewska-Jaszczyk from the press office of the Provincial Police Headquarters in Gdańsk confirmed that the police had received a court order to issue an arrest warrant.
Information about the search was posted on the police website. Turczyński is being sought by the Search and Identification of Persons Unit of the Provincial Police Headquarters in Gdańsk. According to the description, the man has a slim build, is approximately 176–180 cm tall, and weighs between 70 and 89 kg.
Mikołaj Podolski—the journalist who exposed and described what was happening at Zatoka Sztuki—also commented on the case.
“Unfortunately, the escape of the former head of Zatoka Sztuki, Marcin Turczyński, aka ‘Turek,’ has become a fact. There is an arrest warrant—based on a very old photograph. A traveling circus. If the media reported months ago that his appeal hearing was approaching and that he had received as much as six years in the first instance, Polish authorities should have known where he was even then. It appears they don’t know even today. This is a disgrace for everyone—the court, the police, and the prosecution. They allowed the conductor of the biggest pedophilia scandal in the history of Pomerania to escape, a man who from the start wrapped them around his finger. There is no explanation for this,” he wrote.
“I would like to remind everyone that earlier there was no consent to detain ‘Turek’ or even to impose a travel ban. Then the prosecution did not want to disclose to journalists the amount of his bail (because it turned out to be laughable) or the details of the charges. Later, they did not want to initiate proceedings, among other things, for everything he did to journalists and for perjury. It was a circus from the beginning, and now they’ve simply set off fireworks. Little Sicily in all its glory,” Podolski adds.
In the “teenage girls’ hunter” trial, the District Prosecutor’s Office in Gdańsk charged Krystian W. and four other individuals, among other things, with sexual offenses.
Krystian W. was charged with committing 65 crimes (including 40 of a sexual nature) to the detriment of 35 victims, as well as offenses against a bank, the State Treasury, and insurance companies. According to the indictment, W. committed rapes and engaged in sexual intercourse with girls under the age of 15.
At least 33 women were victimized, most of them minors, and five were under the age of 15.
During the investigation stage, Krystian W. did not plead guilty to the charges against him.
The media had been reporting on the “teenage girls’ hunter” case since 2015. After the suicide of 14-year-old Anaid, publications emerged indicating that the girl had been raped before her death. A journalistic investigation into the teenager’s death uncovered other victimized teenage girls and young women. At that time, the activities of the “teenage girls’ hunter” were also linked to Zatoka Sztuki in Sopot, where “Krystek” worked on the side.