Nightclub fall man was killed by my friend, says accused
A man accused of forcing a nightclub-goer down a set of stairs to his death claimed his friend was in fact responsible for the killing.
Daniel Pelechacz, aged 40, died after suffering a fractured skull at Klimat nightclub, in West Bromwich.
Krysztof Kowalski, 38, of Greets Green, West Bromwich, denies murder and manslaughter.
The trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how Kowalski told police his friend Adam Bukowski had kicked the victim, causing him to fall down the stairs.
He said he hadn't told them this earlier as he was scared of Bukowski as he was "crazy". Bukowski was arrested in connection with Mr Pelechacz's death but was later eliminated from the investigation due to a lack of evidence, the court heard.
Kowalski told police how he had seen Mr Bukowski and the victim involved in a "scuffle" before the fall on September 30, 2018, Mr Icah Peart, defending, explained.
Reading a transcript of the interview to the court, Mr Peart said: "Adam started having a scuffle with the victim. The guy going for Adam caught his belt and wanted to push him down the stairs.
"(Mr Bukowski) kicked him on his back and the guy fell down the stairs."
When asked by police why he hadn't said this in previous interviews, Kowalski replied: "Nobody wants to say anything because they are afraid of him.
"I was afraid for my family but I didn't want to be in prison for something I didn't do."
An anonymous woman who had been in the club on the night of the attack told police she had seen Mr Bukowski "grab the victim by the clothes to take him out".
She added how Mr Bukowski "looked like throwing him out at the top of the stairs" though she didn't see how Mr Pelechacz went down the stairs.
Mr Peart told the jury Kowalski has no previous convictions whereas Mr Bukowski had been convicted of battery four months before Mr Pelechacz's death for "attacking a club-goer at a nightclub while acting as a bouncer".
Mr Peart added: "He had beaten him up. He battered him."
Prosecutors allege Kowalski kneed the victim in the back and pushed him down the stairs and is attempting to shift the blame onto his friend.
The trial continues.
