A woman who threatened a witness in an assault case has been handed a suspended sentence.
Izabella Goralczyk had denied the offence but was found guilty of witness intimidation after a two day trial in summary court.
Magistrates sentenced the 48-year-old to 16 weeks’ custody, suspended for a year and a 12 month supervision order.
Goralczyk appeared in court with the assistance of a Polish interpreter and was also ordered to pay £963 prosecution costs relating to the trial, and fined £350 for a separate offence of being drunk and indecent, which she had admitted.
Prosecuting advocate Sara-Jayne Dodge told the court that Goralczyk’s boyfriend had been charged with assaulting a woman last year.
On December 2, Goralczyk went with him to the complainant’s address.
At first they knocked on her window, but she told them they weren’t welcome.
The couple then knocked on her door and asked her numerous times to withdraw her complaint.
The woman said that she felt frightened by them.
The male called the complainant a ‘snitch’ and a ‘police b****’, and Goralczyk told her: ‘You will go to prison in Poland.’
The pair were arrested the following day and Goralczyk denied the allegation, saying: ‘This is not true, I did not ask her not to give evidence to you guys.’
She also denied the allegation in court but was found guilty by magistrates after a trial.
On June 8, this year, at 5.20pm, police were called to the area of Marmaris takeaway on Douglas promenade after a report of a drunk woman there.
When officers arrived they saw Goralczyk crouched in front of a block of flats on Broadway, openly urinating with her genitals in full view.
She was arrested and was described as slurring her words.
The court heard that she has a number of previous convictions relating to alcohol.
Defence advocate Peter Taylor said that all three parties had been intoxicated at the time of the first offence and that they had previously been drinking companions for some time.
Mr Taylor said that the male had been acquitted of the alleged assault which the witness intimidation related to,but had since been jailed for a different assault.
The advocate said that his client had not been involved in any assault allegations and had only used words.
A probation report said that Goralczyk, who lives at Empire Terrace in Douglas, still did not accept the offence she had been found guilty of.
‘It’s quite clear she has problems with alcohol, it is something that has been causing her problems for some time,' said Mr Taylor.
‘But since the trial she has gained employment, has taken help from her GP, and has now turned away from alcohol.
‘It’s quite clear she needs help.’
The advocate went on to say that the witness intimidation was at the lower end of the scale for offences of its type and that a period of supervision would help Goralczyk.
Magistrates also banned the defendant from entering licensed premises, and purchasing or being sold alcohol for 12 months.
She will pay the fine and costs at a rate of £50 per month.