Daniel Pelka’s mother: not allowed to feed my son

Daniel, from Coventry, is alleged to have suffered an “incomprehensible” and escalating campaign of cruelty at the hands of his mother, Magdelena Luczak, and stepfather, Mariusz Krezolek.

Ms Luczak, 27, and Mr Krezolek, 34, both originally from Poland, deny charges of murder and causing or allowing Daniel’s death.

Giving evidence in both English and Polish with the assistance of an interpreter, Ms Luczak claimed Mr Krezolek did not permit her to feed her son in the evening after he took sandwiches from his primary school.

Speaking at Birmingham crown court, she told a jury: “(Krezolek) wasn’t allowing me to feed him.

“When I explained to him that Daniel was taking sandwiches because he was hungry, I had nothing to say about it (Krezolek did not listen).”

Stepfather ‘punished Daniel’

Ms Luczak also said that she tried to protect her son when punishments from Mariusz Krezolek intensified, but was then attacked by her boyfriend.

She added: “I had enough because Daniel was punished by Mariusz almost every day.

“I did nothing. I was trying to prevent (Krezolek) but every time I interrupted him, he strangled me.”

Ms Luczak claimed Mariusz “hated” Daniel and had given him physical punishments, including squats, almost every day.

Daniel ‘scavenged for food’

Answering questions from defence QC Stephen Linehan, Ms Luczak conceded that she had not cared for Daniel, as was her duty, between September 2011 and February 10 2012, three weeks before he died of a head injury.

She told jurors at Birmingham crown court: “He (Krezolek) had no feelings towards Daniel, he hated him.”

Asked how much food Daniel was receiving during February last year, Luczak said: “In the morning before he left for school, I was giving him breakfast and I was packing his packed lunch.

“On the way to school I would buy him something sweet and after school Daniel wouldn’t eat anymore.”

The court has heard that Daniel took sandwiches from classmates and “scavenged” for food at his school in the months before he died weighing just 10.7kg on March 3 2012.

Asserting that MrKrezolek did not allow her to feed Daniel, the boy’s mother told the court: “Mariusz would check his belly and he would say that there’s a slight bump on his belly.

“He would ask Daniel if he was taking any sandwiches (from his school). Daniel was so scared that he would always confess and say yes he had.

“Mariusz didn’t allow me to give him food and he said he was well fed at school.”

Alleging that Krezolek made Daniel run and kneel in the corner of a room, Luczak added: “He was shouting at him, he was smacking him on the bottom and he was giving him punishments.”