Family calls for justice after Brit drank 22 shots and died at Polish strip club as police arrest seven 'gang members'

19 April 2023, 14:35 | Updated: 19 April 2023, 15:07

The sister of a British man who died after he was handed 22 shots in 90 minutes while visiting a strip club in Poland has called for justice.

Mark Cocks, 36, who was with a friend at Wild Night in Krakow, was robbed of £420 in zloty by staff in 2017, authorities in the country said. He had been on holiday with his friend.

He is thought to have been targeted by an organised crime gang which robs people in late night establishments. Seven arrests have been made.

Polish prosecutors said Mark, from Loftus in North Yorkshire, had a lethal blood alcohol content in his system after being plied with the booze.

Read more: Man who avoided jail for raping girl, 13, because he was too young launches legal challenge against conviction

Mark's grieving sister Samantha said nobody was being held accountable for his death despite police making a series of arrests against organised crime group operating in bars in recent weeks.

"The last we heard from the serious crime squad - who were investigating Mark's death and dealing with the inquest - was that they weren't looking into the crimes and goings on in those establishments," she said.

"So why is this coming out now?"

Samantha said it was not true that he was drunk when he entered the club, as police claimed.

And she wrote on Wild Night's Facebook page: "My brother's death in this vile establishment needs to be made aware of!"

Another user replied: "Dodgy b******s, they are scum, it was my nephew who died in this bar.

"They fleeced him out of five transactions totalling £760, separated from his friend, then told his friend 'your mates dead'."

Mark was described as hard-working and "always socialising" when he died.

His mother, Pat, told Teesside Live previously: "Everybody loved Mark, he was really the life and soul.

"He was always happy and upbeat, and positive.

"He didn’t have a bad word about anyone, and nobody had a bad word about him."

Authorities in Poland recently said: "One of the leads investigated by the investigators in the case concerns the victim who was driven to a state of intoxication, causing loss of consciousness, and then death as a result of acute alcohol poisoning.

There are 58 suspects in a case surrounding organised crime members extorting money from customers in late night establishments in Poland.

Read more: GMP continues fight back against domestic and sexual abuse with 20,000 arrests made in a year

Investigators said in a statement: "According to the findings of the investigators, the activities of the group were aimed at committing crimes to the detriment of club customers by leading them to a state of deprivation of awareness and perception [...]

"The perpetrators, taking advantage of the mental and physical condition of the victims, made payment transactions using payment cards or other financial instruments for goods and services allegedly offered in the club.

"In some cases, through electronic banking, on devices owned by customers, loans were also allowed to be taken or deposits or savings accounts were closed, and the funds accumulated there were transferred to the accounts of companies operating clubs."

They added: "To the persons detained during the recent activities, the Prosecutor presented among other charges, allegations of participation in an organised crime group, committing robberies and fraud to the detriment of clients of clubs from Krakow and Warsaw."