The father who lived in the Polish incest house where the remains of three babies were found in the basement has also been accused of cruelty to his St Bernard dog.
An animal charity now caring for elderly dog Bethowen believes he was deliberately starved and spent his entire life chained up.
The underweight dog could barely walk when he was recovered last Friday after police raided the home of Piotr Gierasik, 54, in the village of Czerniki, northern Poland.
He is now recovering, together with two cats from the building, at the ‘Animalsi’ Animal Shelter Foundation in the nearby town of Kocierzyna.
Police found the remains of three babies in the basement of the cottage where widow Piotr lived with his daughter Paulina, 20, and her 24-year-old mentally disabled brother.
One baby was said to have been born from Piotr’s rape of an older daughter, while the last two resulted from an alleged consensual relationship with pastry chef Paulina.
He has now been charged with three murders, one of incest with Paulina and the rape of his eldest daughter.
An animal charity now caring for elderly dog Bethowen believes he was deliberately starved and spent his entire life chained
The underweight dog could barely walk when he was recovered last Friday after police raided the home of Piotr Gierasik, 54, in the village of Czerniki, northern Poland
The spot where Bethowen, the St. Bernard dog, was chained next to a hole in the wall of a barn and acted as a makeshift kennel at Piotr Gierasik’s home
The spot where Bethowen, the St. Bernard dog, was chained next to a hole in the wall of a barn
Depraved Piotr Gierasik, 54, is pictured after being accused of incest and murder
Paulina, who had tried to hide her last pregnancy from her colleagues, is also accused of incest and two murders of her children.
Staff at the Animalsi shelter, which cares for 230 dogs and more than 50 homeless cats, posted photos of Bethowen showing his shocking condition on their Facebook page.
The post read: ‘The whole of Poland is reeling from the tragedy that took place in one of the towns in the municipality of Stara Kiszewa.
‘We are receiving more and more blood-curdling information from everywhere.
‘We were there to secure the animals that were staying there. Bethowen, a nice elderly Róa, and two cats are already here at the shelter.
‘But we are shocked that the great Saint Bernard weighs only 28kg and has spent his entire life chained up.
‘The dog needs a more thorough examination and certainly treatment (you can immediately see its sick eyes).
‘Currently he can barely stand, so we will provide him with good meals several times a day. Fortunately he has a good appetite.’
The post stated that Bethowen, who is believed to be about 10 years old, would visit a vet this week.
It added: ‘We are confident that Bethowen will be a beautiful and strong dog in a few months. Pets do not return to their previous owners.’
The post concluded with a plea for donations to help run the shelter, saying: “If you would like to help Bethowen, we will be grateful for even the smallest donation.”
Shelter staff have since insisted they had no knowledge of the condition the dog was being held in before being alerted by police.
The underweight dog could barely walk when he was recovered last Friday after police raided the home of Piotr Gierasik, 54, in the village of Czerniki, northern Poland
The chain that secured Bethowen, the St. Bernard dog, outside
The chain that secured Bethowen, the St. Bernard dog, outside
Animalsi dog shelter in Poland, where Bethowen, the Saint Bernard dog, is recovering after neglect by Piotr Gierasik
Paulina (right in handcuffs) who had tried to hide her last pregnancy from her colleagues is also accused of incest and two murders of her children
Polish animal lovers have flooded Animalsi’s Facebook page with messages wishing Behowen warm wishes and praying for his recovery.
Hanka Bromirska wrote: ‘Good luck dog. You deserve love and a warm home.’
Karolina Stawiarska-Kocent added: “Further proof that some people don’t deserve to own animals. They treat them as slaves and not as family members. Awful!’
Authorities in Poland revealed this week that Piotr had undergone five previous investigations into alleged incest and family abuse before the babies’ bodies were found.
Grayna Wawryniuk, a spokeswoman for the Public Prosecution Service in Gdansk, told MailOnline that Piotr first faced an incest accusation 12 years ago, and then again about “two or three years later.”
The other three investigations focused on alleged abuse of members of his family in more recent years.
Ms Wawryniuk said all investigations had been “discontinued” and no charges were being laid due to a lack of evidence.
The unemployed Piotr had twelve children with his late wife Hanna, who died in 2008 aged just 38, leading villagers to openly express their suspicions that Piotr had abused her.
The poverty-stricken family first came to the attention of social services many years ago and was first placed under supervision by a judge in Gdansk in December 1997.
The family later moved to the Czerniki area and the supervision order was transferred with them.
View of the basement of the home of Paulina Gierasik and her father Piotr in Czerniki, Poland, where three dead babies were found
The pair are being held while prosecutors investigate their relationship and the discovery of the remains of three babies in the basement of their isolated home.
Babies were found buried in shallow graves in the basement
Piotr Gierasik, 54, allegedly forced his 24-year-old son to leave the house (pictured) in the village of Czerniki, northern Poland, whenever he and his daughter Paulina Gierasik, 20, wanted to sleep together during their four-year relationship stay. relation
Local media reported today that the court in Kocierzyna had restricted Piotr’s parental authority over his remaining children in March 2015. He was also ordered to take parenting classes.
The probation officer’s supervision gradually ended as his children became adults, finally concluding last May as the youngest child came of age, it was reported.
Villagers claim they alerted authorities over the years after hearing the sounds of ‘moans and screams’ coming from Piotr’s detached house on the outskirts of Czerniki.
Others became suspicious after seeing Piotr’s shaved head walking hand in hand with Paulina and appearing to treat her more as a wife than a daughter.
It is also said that the father and daughter chose perfumes together during rare trips to a local store and called each other “honey.”
Piotr’s alleged reign of terror only finally came to light last week after staff at the Cukiernia pastry shop in Stara Kiszewa, where Paulina worked, suspected she was wearing baggy clothes to hide her latest pregnancy.
A colleague told social services that Paulina may have secretly given birth after appearing to lose weight when she returned from ‘holiday’.
The tip led to a social worker visiting Paulina and persuading her to confess what happened after she persuaded her domineering father to leave the room.