Man killed in fall after being 'pushed down nightclub stairs'
A man kneed a fellow nightclub reveller in his back and pushed him down a steep set of stairs to his death, prosecutors allege.
Daniel Pelechacz, 40, died after suffering a fractured skull following his fall at Klimat nightclub, in West Bromwich, on September 30, 2018.
Krysztof Kowalski, 38, of Greets Green, West Bromwich, is standing trial accused of his murder and a further count of manslaughter. He has denied both charges.
Prosecuting, Mr David Mason QC told a jury at Wolverhampton Crown Court: “We say Mr Kowalski deliberately pushed Daniel down the stairs of the nightclub on that night.
“This was certainly no accident. Daniel was kneed in the back and thrown downstairs as a result of being kneed in the back.
"Mr Kowalski must have known what happened to Daniel - but he very quickly left the club without the courage to face up to what he had clearly done.”
A woman who found Mr Pelechacz unconscious at the bottom of the stairs after she heard a “loud bang” while smoking a cigarette outside, the court was told.
“It was assumed that the bang was Daniel falling to the bottom of the stairs,” continued Mr Mason QC.
The court heard Mr Pelechacz became "boisterous" just before closing time and was asked to leave by the owner, Dorota Radowska.
Mr Mason QC continued: "The owner asked Daniel to be removed and asked security to remove him.
"It was at this stage Gregorz Markowski saw a man - that he subsequently identified at an identification parade as Mr Kowalski - stand behind Daniel, grab him by the tops of his arms and push him from behind.
"Daniel was walking to a doorway at the top of the stairs when Mr Kowalski pushed him from behind with open hands. Our witness says he pushed him harder than he needed to because Daniel was not resisting."
Kowalski, who needs a Polish interpretor for the trial, was not working as a security guard that night but was a customer.
Prosecutors claim Kowalski is now laying the blame on his friend, whom he was with at the club.
A doctor's report found that Mr Pelechacz suffered a "blunt force injury to the back of his head" following his fall, the court was told.
The trial continues.
