An Unlawful Threat as a Statutory Feature of Criminal Offences Under Article 245 of the Polish Criminal Code. Considerations Connected with the Supreme Court and Appellate Courts Jurisprudence

Abstract

This article aims to interpret the term “unlawful threat” under Article 245 of the Criminal Code. It can be observed that judicial decisions of the Supreme Court and legal doctrine do not provide a uniform interpretation of the term. The work discusses whether the result in the shape of a justified concern that the threat will be carried out is necessary. Such a criminal result is described in Article 190 of the Criminal Code which penalizes punishable threats. It corresponds with Article 115 § 12 of the Criminal Code which defines an unlawful threat. In the opinion of the authors, causing a justified fear that the threat will be carried out is one of the statutory features in all three cases, i.e. unlawful threats to commit a criminal offence, to institute criminal proceedings and to disseminate defamatory information.