An angry boater saw him placing a ticket on a unlicensed narrowboat and he killed a retired officer of police. The case was heard in court today.
Daniel Wisniewski lives in his canal boat. He is accused of launching an ‘unprovoked attack’ on Clive Porter who works on the waterway after seeing Porter ticket another man’s barge.
The 46-year old became furious and stormed out of the Captain Golden Heart before photographing Mr Porter.
Prosecutors claim Wisniewski attacked the 63 year-old victim on the towpath in Aylesbury (Bucks) last April.
Mr Porter, who was patrolling the stretch of the 137 mile-long waterway for the Canal and River Trust his retirement, died at the scene after suffering severe head injuries.
Wisniewski, his partner and a court judge heard that he was found in hiding on the land next to him.
Police interrogated him and he stated that he attempted to “save” Mr Porter by attacking two men from the boat he put the ticket. The jury was told that he was a hero’ and deserving a ’medal from the queen’.
Wisniewski was listed on court records as having lived in Wharf Road in Birmingham.
Daniel Wisniewski is said to be living on his boat in the canal’s famous canal. He allegedly launched an ‘unprovoked attack’ on Clive Porter, a waterway worker, after seeing Porter ticket another barge.
Prosecutors claim Wisniewski assaulted the 63 year-old man on the Grand Union Canal towpath (pictured), near Aylesbury in Bucks.
Judge Justice Turner told the court today that Porter had resigned from police service 10 years ago and had taken the job due to his passion for the outdoors.
He was told by the court that he would ride up and down the canal, entering details of boats on an iPad. This would allow him to check the licenses for mooring on the picturesque canal.
Alan Kent QC, the Prosecutor of Essex County said: “His past as a police officer gave him an ideal position for this job.
“Before his retirement he worked as a Tring neighbourhood officer, Hertfordshire, and found satisfaction in helping others.
“He was well liked and respected. He was quiet, non-aggressive, and unassuming.
According to the jury, Mr Porter was at Broughton lock at 12.15pm April 26. He saw Frosty Jack on his iPad. His iPad showed that Frosty Jack had no licence.
The attacker then gave the boat to Wisniewski, who was already tied in front of his narrowboat, an enforcement notice.
The court was told by Mr Kent that although the Frosty Jack violation was nothing of the defendant’s concern, he considered it to be his.
“For some reason the defendant appeared to be against the fact that an enforce letter was being placed on the other boat, and he began a fight with Mr Porter over it.
“That argument quickly turned into a physical attack by the defendant, which led to the death of Mr Porter.”
Investigators encourage anyone with additional information to call them. Pictured: The scene was visited by forensic evidence
Investigators found photographs taken by Mr Porter, the accused of affixing the enforcement letter to the boat by Wisniewski on a camera recovered from Wisniewski’s vessel.
It was obvious that the accused was curious about what Porter was doing just seconds before he attacked Porter.
“The fact that photos were located in the deleted section shows that the photographer had the foresight and the will to remove these images.
“There was no reason for him not to do so, but he did. He didn’t expect the police would find them, but they did.
He was submerged in water in a ditch adjacent to the towpath. His lifejacket which was his usual wear was also submerged.
Paramedics were able to rescue him and attempted to save his life. He was declared dead shortly after.
Kent stated that it was clear that Mr Porter died shortly after being shot. Kent also said: “It is evident that this defendant didn’t hang around. He fled the area.” He was arrested at 12.30 on Tuesday April 27th.
He was found hiding in a trailer that he had built on the land he shared with his partner. Although he didn’t want to be caught, he expected the police would find him.
A drone flight-through was shown to the jury, which included photos that were taken just moments before Wisniewski attacked Porter.
Polish national who was present at proceedings listened to an interpreter and denies murdering Mr Porter. He instead claimed that he saved him from being attacked by two men, one of whom came from Frosty Jack.
He said that Kent claimed to be a true hero and should receive a Queen’s medal.
“It was not Porter who was attacked by two men, but Wisniewski.”
The jury also saw a number of emails Wisniewski sent to his partner. These emails revealed that Wisniewski had a history of anger at those who worked on the canal.
The Prosecutor Kent stated that: “On the 27th of November 2019, Thames Valley Police conducted an investigation and discovered that defendant’s partner had purchased a piece of land in Model Row. This is right next to the canal.
Porter, who was found dead at the Grand Union Canal on Monday 26th April, died. Photographed: After his death
“The defendant and she planned to jointly use the entire area including the land to restore and repair canal boats. A commercial licence was required to accomplish this.
“But in the early 2020s, flooding caused problems. The Canal Trust received a number of emails from defendant’s partner.
“It’s quite obvious that even though emails were under her name, it is likely that he (Wisniewski), was a party.
“She repeatedly complained about the condition of the canal. She claimed it was terrible, neglected, and not worth the money.
“She claimed that some staff members were not competent. Because of the floods that took place in 2020, she demanded damages for their loss.
According to the prosecutor, they threatened court action and sent several emails that lasted six months. You must have a license to live aboard a boat. The fees for mooring were paid by the defendant in January 2021.
The defendant asked about the suspension of his business licensure. He paid the commercial fees on Friday, April 23. Clive Porter was killed three days later,’ stated Mr Kent.
“We recommend that background emails be used to show general frustrations of individuals. Clive Porter was the victim of his frustration on April 26th.
A portion of witnesses’ accounts were reviewed by the prosecution and presented to the jury.
He explained that Philip Francis was heading towards the Frosty Jack on the canal pathway.
“He claimed that he had seen a man inspect the boat, take something out of his bag, and fix it up to the boat.
“The witness noticed defendant’s boat already and saw someone in the boast with a camera standing right there.”
Wisniewski (of Wharf Road in Birmingham) denies one charge of murder. Three weeks are expected to pass before the trial at Reading Crown Court (pictured).
The defendant told Mr Francis that they should clear the water instead of doing this, making it his business just to observe what Mr Porter was doing.
“He followed the towpath past the defendant, and then he sat down in his car for some time. He didn’t see anyone else on the towpath.
“Zachary Tennyson was out walking his dog. Clive Porter, who was also on the towpath, saw him and his boat.
According to Zachary, the defendant looked angry. His expression was frowning and furrowed eyebrows.
“He was wearing headphones so couldn’t hear, but could see the men talking. His only sighting of another man was that of a male jogger.
“Patricia Card went out with her grandson. She noticed two men walking along the towpath with her grandson. Two men were arguing, the shorter one saying “I paid for that”.
“He seemed to be getting more aggressive, according to what she could see. The taller man was calm.
“She saw the man shorter, who was rumored to be Wisniewski. She noticed that his hand looked red.”
Wisniewski (of Wharf Road in Birmingham) denies one charge of murder. It is anticipated that the trial will last for three weeks.
Continue the hearing