An Islander who used an angle grinder to cut through 5G cables at five mobile phone sites and damaged a radio transmitter has been sent for mental-health treatment after a court found he was not criminally responsible for almost £84,000 of damage.
Mariusz Szymanski (45) caused £79,893 worth of damage to Jersey Telecom equipment between 2 and 4 July 2025, disrupting newly installed 5G sites across the Island.
He also caused more than £4,000 worth of damage to equipment belonging to Arqiva, including a BBC Radio Jersey medium-wave transmitter, a padlock and satellite dish.
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Sign up for freeBut two medical experts concluded that Mr Szymanski was suffering from a schizophrenic psychotic illness at the time.
The Royal Court found that his mental health disorder was so substantial that he should not be held criminally responsible for the offences.
Signals disrupted
The damage targeted 5G infrastructure rolled out by JT Group and Ericsson from January 2025.
Crown Advocate Luke Sette said Mr Szymanski’s actions resulted in “outages or disruption to the BBC radio broadcast and mobile phone signals in associated areas”.
However, the impact on mobile coverage was reduced because JT was able to switch affected areas back to legacy sites already operating before the new masts were installed.
Treatment, not punishment
The prosecution sought a treatment order in light of Mr Szymanski’s serious mental illness.
Deputy Bailiff Mark Temple agreed, ordering that he return to mental health treatment facility Orchard House, where he is currently being looked after.
No compensation order was made in respect of the losses suffered by JT Group or Arqiva.
