Right Move Herefordshire

Priest's bones move case dropped

A priest accused of illegally removing a boy's bones from a grave has had the charges against him dropped.

Father Wojciech Jasinski, of the Marian Fathers, had been accused of illegally moving the bones of a 14-year-old boy.

He said he thought it was morally right to move the boy's bones from Herefordshire to be with his mother's in Oxfordshire.

A judge at Worcester Crown Court decided there was insufficient evidence for a jury to convict him.

He had been charged with illegally removing a corpse from a grave.

The 14-year-old boy was Witold Orlowski, a Polish boy who escaped from the country during World War II and travelled to Mexico, with his mother Zofia.

Whilst in Mexico he encountered a sick priest, Jozef Jarzebowski.

Witold prayed to God to take his life rather than that of the priest. He died and Fr Jarzebowski lived, eventually moving to Herefordshire. Witold became a hero among other members of his faith.

Fr Jasinski said: "Witold's mother came here after the war to work at a school set up by Father Jarzebowski and brought her son's remains with her."

He was buried at the former St Raphael's Convent in Bullingham, Herefordshire.

Zofia eventually moved to Henley-on-Thames, where she died, and where Witold's bones were moved to by Fr Jasinski who said he took them so the boy could be reburied with his mother.

"The main reason I decided to make the removal was to fulfil the wishes of the mother, to make her happy," he said.

The boy's bones now lie with his mother's in Henley-on-Thames.

Fr Jasinski said he was now returning to Rome, where he lives.

Bulls News: Bulls begin with Southend defeat

Jamie Pitman opted to start with a defensive partnership of Ryan Green and Stefan Stam, owing to a suspension which ruled out Michael Towsend. Danny Williams was included on the bench, which signals that the winger has signed some form of contract with the club. The hosts had just one fit striker, with Millwall legend Neil Harris included, whilst former Stockport County star Liam Dickinson passed a fitness test to take his place among the subs. Southend more than dominated the first-half, with Hereford unable to find any sort of rhythm. Jemal Johnson’s individual skill saw him flick the ball up and volley wide from an acute angle, before Harris scuffed wide after two aerial challenges in the Bulls’ box went defensively unchallenged. That was warning enough for Hereford as they succumbed to another free header to find themselves one down. Ryan Hall cut back on to his preferred left-foot, on the right-wing, to whip a cross towards the back-post where Mohsni had peeled off his marker to guide a header past Adam Bartlett. The hosts continued to threaten aerially, with Mohsni making a nuisance of himself throughout. A free-kick from the left was pushed over by Bartlett, after Mohsni had out battled Stam in the air. Hereford’s only effort of any note in the first-period fell to James McQuilkin, after some neat one-touch football, the midfielder fired a lacklustre strike well-wide. At the other end, Bartlett had to be alert to stop a dangerous free-kick strike from Ryan Hall, whilst good work by Harris chasing down a long-ball saw him find the forward run of Anthony Grant, and his toe-poke went across goal before going out for a goal-kick. The early signs in the second-half were that Hereford had upped their game a little, showing more passion, yet it was still the home side who were threatening the most. Harris started and nearly finished a move, as he raced into the box to meet a cross by Hall with a pin-point header inches over the bar. McQuilkin saw a free-kick hit the wall before a second-attempt was then blocked, before Hereford bought on Yoann Arquin for Stuart Fleetwood, which sparked energy into the Bulls’ attack. The French striker immediately put himself about, and tried his luck, although rather hopelessly from 30 yards. Southend should have been two goals to the good however, with a frantic few seconds inside the box.

Notes and queries

Notes and queries

The farmer's magazine

A report of the case of the Right Rev. R.D. Hampden, D. D., Lord Bishop elect of Hereford, in Hereford Cathedral, the ecclesiatical courts, and the Queen's Bench

British farmer's magazine