Disgraced ex-policeman avoids court; receives €100 fine

Bratislava V District Court on Tuesday imposed a fine of €100 on an ex-police officer identified only as Ľuboš T. over his failure to show up at court, where he faces charges of abusing the powers of a public official and restricting personal freedom, TASR learnt on the same day. Illness was cited as the reason for not appearing in court, however the defendant supplied a doctor's note without a readable signature or readable doctor's stamp, dated from February 22, 2015. The former police officer's lawyer also failed to show up to the hearing and was also fined €100. "I don't consider this to be an appropriate and timely excuse for their absence from court proceedings", said the judge, postponing the session to April 12. The charges were pressed against Ľuboš after an incident in 2014, when he flagged down a car during a traffic check in the Bratislava borough of Petržalka and subsequently appeared to mistreat a female driver by using inappropriate force. A video of the event was recorded on the mobile phone of the driver's daughter, which was then released into the public domain, creating a media storm. The police officer spent 49 days in custody over concerns of potentially influencing witnesses. On December 19, 2014, he was dismissed from the force. If found guilty, Ľuboš could face three to eight years in jail for restricting personal freedom and two to five years for abusing the powers of a public official.