Man jailed for assaulting father with Alzheimer’s disease

A man who assaulted his elderly father suffering from severe Alzheimer’s disease has been jailed for 15 months and faces automatic deportation. ⚖️

Martin Kusnierik, 36, of no fixed abode, was convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault on his father following a trial in February this year.

At Caernarfon Crown Court today, Judge Timothy Petts heard how Kusnierik had been temporarily staying with his sister in Blaenau Ffestiniog and helping care for his father, who needed assistance with eating, hygiene and toileting.

The plan was for Kusnierik to take his father back home to Slovakia, as his sister was expecting a baby. However, Judge Petts told the court: “It is clear to me that you have no real idea about how severe your father’s condition is.”

Kusnierik’s sister witnessed the assaults via a baby monitor camera. On the first occasion, he was seen wrestling with his father for about 20 minutes on a bed, leaving him “distressed and in pain”. Judge Petts dismissed Kusnierik’s claim it was a martial arts technique to relax his father’s muscles.

Days later, after his father had soiled himself, Kusnierik “did not treat him with kindness and compassion”, said Judge Petts. Instead he “lost his temper” and “grabbed and twisted his nipples causing him considerable pain”, before hitting him several times in the chest. His sister was “horrified”.

Judge Petts said there was “an abuse of trust” and imposed a 14-month sentence for assault occasioning actual bodily harm and one month consecutive for common assault.

Kusnierik, who had no previous convictions, was also given a five-year restraining order preventing him from contacting his father and a statutory surcharge. The judge confirmed the sentence should lead to automatic deportation, which will be dealt with by the Home Office. 🏛️