PROCEDURE

The case originated in an application (no. 29437/02) against the Republic of Poland lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) by a Polish national, Mr Artur Lewandowski (“the applicant”), on 1 July 2002.

The Polish Government were represented by their Agent, Mr J. Wołąsiewicz of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The applicant alleged, in particular, that the length of his pre‑trial detention had been unreasonable.

On 17 March 2005 the President of the Fourth Section of the Court decided to communicate the complaint concerning the length of the applicant's detention on remand to the Government. Under the provisions of Article 29 § 3 of the Convention, it was decided to examine the merits of the application at the same time as its admissibility.

THE FACTS

I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE

The applicant was born in 1970 and is presently detained in Wołów Detention Centre.

On 21 March 2000 the applicant was arrested on suspicion of robbery.

On 22 March 2000 the Oława District Court (Sąd Rejonowy) decided to detain the applicant on remand. It considered that the applicant's detention was justified by the existence of a reasonable suspicion that he had committed the offence and the gravity of the charges. It also relied on the risk that the applicant might induce witnesses to give false testimony or obstruct the proceedings against him by other means. On 20 April 2000 the Wrocław Regional Court (Sąd Okręgowy) dismissed the applicant's appeal against that decision.

On 21 June 2000 the Regional Court prolonged the applicant's detention until 21 September 2000. The court considered that there was a significant risk of the applicant obstructing the proper course of the proceedings or going into hiding.

The applicant's detention was subsequently prolonged on 21 September and 21 December 2000. The court repeated the reasons previously given for the applicant's detention and considered that it was necessary to obtain evidence from an expert psychiatrist.

On 19 March 2001 the Wrocław Court of Appeal (Sąd Apelacyjny) again prolonged his detention until 30 April 2001.

On 20 April 2001 the applicant was indicted before the Wrocław Regional Court. He was charged with having committed two robberies in January and February 1999.

The applicant's detention was further prolonged by the Wrocław Regional Court several times, for the same reasons as before.

On 6 March 2002 the Wrocław Court of Appeal allowed the Regional Court's request to extend the applicant's detention until 19 September 2002. Subsequently the court prolonged his detention until 19 December 2002 and, thereafter, until 19 March 2003. The applicant's appeals against those decisions were dismissed.

His applications for release of 22 September and 12 November 2002 were likewise dismissed.

On 5 March 2003 the Court of Appeal, at the prosecutor's request, prolonged the applicant's detention until 19 June 2003.

On 15 April 2003, at a hearing, the Regional Court dismissed the applicant's request for release, for the same reasons as before. The court found that there were “no grounds for release” provided by Article 259 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

On 29 April 2003 the applicant again unsuccessfully asked the court to release him from detention.

On 10 June 2003 the Wrocław Court of Appeal allowed the Regional Court's application to prolong the detention until 19 September 2003

On 16 September 2003 the Wrocław Regional Court convicted the applicant as charged and sentenced him to 12 years' imprisonment.

On 29 June 2004 the Court of Appeal upheld the applicant's sentence of 4 years' imprisonment in respect of the robbery committed in February 1999. The appeal court quashed the remainder of the impugned judgment in so far as it concerned the applicant's conviction for armed robbery committed in January 1999 and for which the applicant was sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment. The court remitted this part of the case.

The applicant lodged a cassation appeal with the Supreme Court against the part of the Court of Appeal's judgment which had become final. It appears that the proceedings ended on an unspecified later date.

On 31 January 2006 the Wrocław Regional Court gave a judgment with regard to the part of the judgment which had been quashed by the Court of Appeal on 29 June 2004. The applicant was convicted of having committed armed robbery in January 1999 and was sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment.

The applicant appealed but on 31 August 2006 the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal.

The applicant lodged a cassation appeal and the proceedings are pending before the Supreme Court.