Pawel Konowalski jailed for assaulting man who refused to give in to extortion demands

Pawel Konowalski

A man who assaulted another man who refused to give in to attempts to extort money from him has been jailed.

Pawel Konowalski (born 23/03/1983), of Ings Lane, Rochdale, was found guilty of attempted robbery and Section 47 Assault following a trial at Minshull Street Crown Court.

On Thursday 27 June 2013, he was jailed for 10 years.

The victim is a 36-year-old man who came into some money after receiving compensation following an accident at work.

In the months leading up to the 11 May 2012, the victim received repeated telephone calls and texts from withheld numbers during which he was offered ‘protection’ for cash. It is believed these were from Konowalski.

The victim continually refused to hand over any money and on 11 May 2013, Konowalski went to the victim’s home.

He assaulted the victim and made demands for cash, which the victim refused. He suffered a broken collar bone and severe bruising in the assault.

Detective Constable Hannah Greetham, said: “Konowalski threatened and intimidated the victim in what was simply an attempt to extort money from him.

“The irony is that while the victim was being offered ‘protection’ services in exchange for cash, it was only Konowalski himself who the victim needed protection from and that service was given to him free of charge by the police.

“I must give credit to him for standing up to Konowalski and helping the police and criminal justice system secure this conviction. The severity of this offence is reflected in the sentence handed down.

“We will not tolerate this kind of criminality – where threats, intimidation and violence is used to instil fear within a community and rob innocent and hardworking residents and businessmen of their cash.

“If you or anyone you know is suffering from such a crime I would encourage you to come forward and report it immediately.”