Telford pensioner, 96, probed over Nazi war crimes claims

German authorities are continuing to probe the Nazi links of a 96-year old man who lived in Shropshire until his death in October.

Stanislaw Chrzanowski, from Telford, is being investigated for his links to the murder of several people in his Belarus home-town of Slonim, when he was an auxillary to invading German forces. He later fought for the Allies and came to England as a prisoner-of-war.

In the 90s, police had been alerted to Chrzanowski’s past by his own stepson, John Kingston who sent the Met’s War Crimes Unit a dossier of evidence, saying his suspicions were raised based on stories his father-in-law had told him as a child.

When he was older, Kingston – who died last week – travelled to Slonim and spoke to locals who recalled Chrzanowski’s role in the war-time atrocities, alleging that he shot prisoners at the death pits in the surrounding forests.

He was questioned by Met detectives, but no action was taken as the Crown Prosecution Service deemed there to be insufficient evidence. The case lay cold until Nazi war crime prosecutors in Germany last year asked to see the interviews.

UK police officers were preparing to raid his home when he passed away in October, unaware of the closing net. However, analysts said it was a rare example of German authorities pursuing war criminals of different nationalities who perpetrated crimes in different countries.

Karen Pollock , Chief Executive, Holocaust Educational Trust, said: “This is a landmark case in bringing Nazi war criminals to justice, regardless of their nationality or residency.

The victims of Holocaust were never afforded the chance to live their lives, but many perpetrators died without facing the consequences of their crimes.

It may have happened over 70 years ago, but the history of the Holocaust is just as relevant today. We must therefore continue to investigate and expose perpetrators who have yet to face justice.”