#20 The transcription from Katerjina Zaremba.

The witness Katergina Zaremba sat with her parents and the psychologist.

1. I don’t remember what exactly happened when I was riding in the car with my dad, but I remember most of it. It was late spring, about 2pm, and my dad took me from school and was taking me home. I was riding in a Red Renault Megan. (Stop laughing…)
2. At first we were behind a bus, then, we moved to the left, stopping first before the lights. Behind us a few other cars were standing. (I said stop laughing! I wish I could show you the pictures. The girl is eleven years old so she is not very tall. The pictures of the car with her in it clearly show that she can’t see over the seat. I mean, good for her that she memorized her dad’s story, you know. Give her a good grade for the work, but also, give me a brake, huh?)
3. Mr. Goodman was riding between us and the bus. But before we stopped the man rode in front of us. I actually didn’t see the movement when he cut in on us, but I know that my dad had to slow down quite quickly. When we stopped at the lights, that man got off the bike, he threw the bike into the car, I am not sure, but I think it was the back. (Ok, let me stop you again: Not a lot of detail to be sure, but let’s hear that statement again: “ When we stopped at the lights, that man got off the bike, he threw the bike into the car, I am not sure, but I think it was the back.” What in the hell does this mean? How can she think there was bike throwing if she couldn’t see it? Now Zaremba keeps telling all about this bike throwing business, but is it right for the girl to TELL US THERE WAS BIKE THROWING IF SHE COULDN’T EVEN SEE IT? And for get about Zaremba’s change of stories… ah hell, just read on.)
4. He punched several times into the roof and the glass from my side. I was sitting in the front of my car next to my dad. Then he walked to my dad’s side. I was sitting in the front seat next to my dad. Dad was trying to lock the door but he couldn’t. That man punched my dad in he face with his fist. My dad was trying to defend, and calm him down, but the man didn’t want to. Then he left when there was a green light- he got on his bike and drove in the direction of the Mirinow theatre. I went with my dad to the police department. The policemen caught him there. I don’t remember more details.
5. (In answer to the prosecutor’s question:) my dad didn’t tell me why he had to slow down. I figured it out myself that someone had cut in. I was frightened at what all had happened. I had my face in my hands and I cried. Before it happened, when we were driving, I remember seeing the man on the road. I don’t remember where I saw him.
6. (in answer to the question from the auxiliary prosecutor (Zaremba)) I remember that when my dad was slowing down he used his horn. The bus we were following was in front of us. I don’t remember the moment when the biker was riding between us and the bus. I think that the man, when he went to the drivers side, he punched with his hand, but I’m not sure of it.
7. (The psychologist has no questions.)
8. (in answer to a question from the defense attorney:) I saw Mr. Goodman in front of the car, but I don’t remember which lane he was riding in, I think it was the middle. Mr. Goodman was riding on my side of the car, and to the left of the bus. The bus was in the middle lane, Mr. Goodman too, and we stopped to the left. I don’t remember if this was where there was a screech of the tires, but I know that it was fast and hard. (This does sort of sound like it is all happening at the bus doesn’t it?)
9. We weren’t going very fast, rather slowly, and we were getting close to the lights. I am not sure, I don’t remember if my dad was yelling something after putting on the brakes. Mr. Goodman was hitting my dad in the face and my dad was defending, but gently. (Such a good dad.)
10. He was pushing with his hands and trying to close the door. After this hitting with the bike, about what I told you, I didn’t see. (Didn’t see the hitting with the bike either.)
11. I saw him when he rode away with the bike. I don’t remember how many times the lights changed. I wasn’t looking at the lights. We stopped at the parking lot of the police station there were policemen and dad told them to stop him because he attacked us. I don’t remember details of the arrest. When we were standing at the crossroads my dad didn’t talk to anyone else. (This was a good question because Zaremba always tells us about that alleged radio car, but here the daughter tells us that he never even got out of the car, but rather, simply drove over to the police station when he saw that that is where I was heading. I also would like to point out, that in Zaremba’s description of the fight in the car, he is getting hit about the head and shoulders and leaning away and defending and making unfortunately unanswered phone calls to the police. I wonder why it never occurred to anyone that if this was the case, he is laying on top of his daughter during all of this. He even said that she huddled close to him when she was hysterical (though how she could do this even though she was tied into the shoulder harness is questionable as well). Anyway, no mention of anything like this in her story, and if she can remember a bit of bike throwing that took place in back of her, she certainly would have remembered two men beating the crap out of her about 10 cm away!
12. I think that my dad wasn’t getting out of the car, but I don’t remember. At the tramway station, next to the crossing, a few people saw this. I didn’t see the situation a the police station that Mr. Goodman came to my dad. At that time I was in the car.
13. (in answer to the question from the psychological expert:) I wasn’t watching when I was in the car if there was some situation. Before I came to the court, my parents told me about the situation because I didn’t remember. (That was a simply enough answer to a simple question now, wasn’t it? But she covers…)
14. They told me that I had to tell the truth exactly how I saw it. It wasn’t that my dad told me anything in another way than I remember there was not such a situation. (I was allowed back in and heard a translation of what was said. I asked a few questions and then got tossed out again. )
15. (In answer to a questions from the accused:
1. Did she wear a safety belt,
2. Was she thrown to the left or to the right when the car stopped at the lights,
3. Was the back of the car pointing left or right at the time of the stop,
4. Was the father angry or were the quarreling,
5. Does she feel safe riding with her dad? (I wouldn't, would you? She answers:)
1. I was wearing safety belts,
2. I don’t remember left or right,
3. I don’t remember the angle of the car,
4. dad wasn’t angry before the situation, he wasn’t talking to me about the situation and were weren’t arguing after school, before we drove into the lights we had no problems,
5. I feel safe riding in the car with my dad. (Like I said, when I came back in to hear these answers, everybody on the other side was depressed as hell. I guess the professionalism of the answers was a bit much for them. Anyway, Judge Zurawska took over at this point and wanted the girl to make better answers that were more to her liking. The phraseology here is Zurawska’s I am sure. My guess is that Zurawska is sick of all of this penny ante nonsense that she is getting from Zaremba. I think she is deciding that if we are going to be dirty, by God let’s at least do a good Christian job of it. This is what happened next.)
16. (in answer to questions from the leading judge:) That man, when he got off the bike, he came to me as if he was in great fury. When we came to the crossroads Papa wasn’t next to the cyclist. There wasn’t some move where my dad some move to drive into the biker.
17. (from the defense attorney:) I think that the accused at the crossroads was saying something in English, I think they were vulgarities because he was talking with a loud voice. I don’t remember how many times he hit my dad.
18. (in answer from the question from the prosecutor:) During the situation, I wasn’t looking at the lights, I looked there when the man was riding away, and I saw that it was green.