A Catholic priest in Poland has received an 18-month prison sentence for sex and drug crimes following an incident where a male sex worker collapsed during an orgy at the cleric’s home, according to local media reports. The clergyman, referred to as ‘Tomasz Z’ due to Polish privacy laws, was given the jail term earlier this week after being convicted of sexual offenses, providing drugs, and failing to provide assistance to a person in danger of loss of life or serious bodily harm. The priest, who was assigned to a church in Dabrowa Gornicza near the Czech border, was also ordered to pay the victim 15,000 zlotys ($3,820) in damages, as well as donate several thousand zlotys to a fund established to help victims of crime. The scandal emerged shortly after local media reported that the clergyman had hosted a sex party at his parish-owned apartment in August 2023. Details of the gathering were later revealed by the Fakt media outlet.
A male sex worker reportedly fainted during the party after taking too many erectile dysfunction pills. Following the incident, the priest threw one guest out of his home after they attempted to call the police. The person managed to call emergency services, although the cleric reportedly refused to allow paramedics inside after they arrived. The unconscious guest received medical care only after the ambulance team had called the police to gain entrance to the apartment. After the incident made headlines, ‘Tomasz Z’ was discharged from the clergy, while the bishop of the diocese stepped down without providing a reason for the decision. The priest was arrested in January, when the Daily Mail named him as Father Tomasz Zmarzly.