He became famous for his role in “Young Wolves”. A few years later he was convicted of his mother’s murder

In the 1990s and early 2000s, Tomasz Preniasz was considered one of the most promising Polish actors. He obtained a diploma from the Warsaw Theater School in 1992 and started his career almost immediately, initially playing mainly episodes, including: in the Polish-French crime story “Switch” or the youth series “Goodbye, Rockefeller”.

The role in “Young Wolves” was supposed to be a gateway to a career. A family tragedy ruined his plans

The real breakthrough in his career came only in 1995 thanks to the role of Cobra in the cult “Young Wolves” by Jarosław Żamojda (film available at ). The box office success guaranteed him a place in the cast of the sequel, which debuted in cinemas two years later. Later, he regularly appeared on screen, playing in many popular productions, including: in , “Klan”, “Złotopolski”, “Daleko od noszy” or “Na Wspólnej”. Despite many favorable reviews and unflagging popularity, he became a “background” actor, which was not the peak of his dreams and possibilities. For this reason, he looked into the glass more and more often, and when he was drunk, he became aggressive and unpredictable. Soon it was this dark side of his nature that earned him a place on the front pages of the colorful press.

It all started in August 2006, when he learned about his father’s death. He then went to his hometown, to Węgorzewo, to help his mother with the formalities related to the funeral and inheritance. The circumstances were conducive to losing the addiction, because the woman was also addicted. Soon they began to organize parties together until dawn, which often ended in fights. The situation became heated because in the background there was a fight between them for property. One day, after a loud argument, there was a disturbing silence in their house. Concerned neighbors called the police. When the officers entered the house, they found Teresa Preniasz lying on the ground with numerous bruises and hematomas all over her body, while Tomasz was in a state of severe alcohol intoxication, and a subsequent examination showed that he had almost 4 permille in his blood. It was assumed that he was the perpetrator of the beating, but the woman denied it, claiming that she had fallen accidentally. The officers left the property because they could not do anything. At that time, no one expected that a tragedy would happen there in a few days.

He was found guilty of the death of his mother. He was released from prison a month later

A few days later, the local Social Welfare Center received an anonymous report from a person who claimed that Teresa Preniasz was in a critical condition. The police dispatched to the site confirmed these reports. The woman was taken to hospital in a serious condition, where she eventually died. According to doctors, her injuries indicated long-term and severe physical abuse. No one had any doubts that her son, Tomasz, was responsible for this. The 37-year-old was arrested even though he pleaded not guilty.

During the court hearing, he did not hide his addiction and claimed that his mother had this problem. He argued that he did not remember what happened on the tragic night, but he did not allow himself to think that he could be the perpetrator. Although the court found him guilty, a medical certificate, which showed that due to alcoholism he was unable to control his behavior, commuted the sentence. Ultimately, in June 2008, he was sentenced to 2 years in prison, but he was released from prison in July because his stay in custody was included in the sentence. After his release, he tried to return to the industry, but to no avail. Eventually he completely disappeared into the shadows and was never heard from again.

Are you experiencing domestic violence? Are you looking for help? You can, for example, contact the National Emergency Service for Victims of Domestic Violence “Blue Line”. The free hotline is open 24 hours a day at 800 12 00 02. More information can be found here. If there is a threat to life, call the emergency number 112.

If you are struggling with addiction or want to find out how you can help a loved one, you can contact the specialists on duty at these numbers:

• National Addiction Helpline (daily from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.): 800-199-990
• Telephone Trust for behavioral addictions (daily from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.): 800-889-880
• Orange line for parents of children drinking alcohol (Monday to Friday, 2-8 p.m.): 801-140-068
• National Emergency Service for Victims of Domestic Violence Blue Line (24 hours a day): 800-120-002

More information can be found on the following pages.