Father Abandons Two-Week-Old Daughter on Priest's Doorstep and Leaves a Note

Good parenting is a challenging task, and not many are well-equipped for such a lifetime commitment. There are several stories of biological parents abandoning their kids for reasons best known to them. In the end, these parents pay for such poor decisions.

Being a parent mainly involves giving up self-care to focus on the kids because they need all the care in the world. But not every parent who births a child understands the concept.

It can be compared to marriage: both are never easy from the start, and it is only when one becomes acquainted with the responsibilities that tag along that it becomes easier and fun.

However, unlike marriage, not many parents are lucky enough to get back on track after the first trial. Again, any mistake in parenting can be costly, as both the offspring and parent reap the fruit of these deeds.

In 2013, a young father of Polish descent living in the UK left his only child on a priest's doorstep. Tomasz Grzonka's case was met with the consequences of his inexperience sooner than expected when a court heard his case.

WHO IS TOMASZ GRZONKA?

Tomasz Grzonka studied animal husbandry in Poland before relocating to the UK in 2008. There, he enrolled at the Institute for Animal Health in Britain.

Later, Grzonka found work as a dairy farm staff in Hampshire and earned £22,000 annually until he got another job in Staffordshire, doing agricultural labor, and earning £400 monthly.

In 2011, he met a woman whose identity remains unknown for legal reasons. Their relationship blossomed, and soon, Grzonka's partner joined him in the country.

They welcomed their first and only child at home the following year, but what followed was a heartbreaking story. Instead of being overwhelmed by joy, seeing their little creation, the couple was consumed with fear.

GRZONKA ABANDONS HIS DAUGHTER

On April 19, after the infant's delivery which was a home birth, Grzonka and his lover decided to leave the baby with a priest. They believed that home delivery was a punishable offense that could cause the authorities to take their child from them.

So, they devised an abandonment plan instead; it would assure them of where to look when it was time. Following a court briefing, the prosecutor, Mr. Daniel Fugallo, explained that the pair had left a 2-week-old child in front of Father Edward Stachurski's home.

Initially, they thought about aborting the plan because of the area's nature. But once they drove to Reading on May 3, 2012, and saw that the lights of the priest's house were turned on, they proceeded.

The girl's mother walked to the doorstep with her child in hand and a bag; then, she pressed the doorbell believing that the priest was home. On this fateful day, Stachurski went out on a friendly visit to the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

It was a chilly day, great for spending time with family and close friends, and so the Father, who left at 7:45 p.m., returned around 9 p.m. Upon his return, he saw a bag at the top of his doorstep. Fugallo added:

"From inside the bag, Father Edward heard the sound of a baby crying softly."

Unafraid and full of compassion, the priest took the child inside his home before phoning the authorities. When they arrived, they observed the items shoved next to the infant.

The bag contained two baby diapers, a dummy, a scarf, a baby's bottle, a towel, a silver chain, and a note scripted in polish.

Its content was a courtesy to the priest, as Grzonka first blessed the Lord. Then he requested a "huge favor." The new parent asked the priest to take the infant for a check-up at the hospital, then added that he wished for her to be adopted by a Polish family.

In the end, the Polish native admitted that he was constrained and that he would not be able to provide sufficiently for the child. He concluded with:

"I am enclosing a neck chain with this letter and ask you to get the future parents to pass it onto her. It has been blessed by the Pope."

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BABY?

After reading the letter, paramedics who responded to the priest rushed the baby to the hospital, and thankfully, they discovered that the baby's health was excellent.

Once the police began conducting investigations and appealed to the public for information, the baby's maternal relatives in Poland contacted them, revealing that they recognized the holdall the baby was in.

GRZONKA'S FATE

Six days after the incident, the authorities found the couple's rent-free cottage in Hampshire, the same dairy farm Grzonka worked in.

They also discovered that the lovers had bundles of cash in different denominations and savings of £6,000 in their bank accounts. Once they were apprehended, the child's mother became emotional, asking about her child's health and well-being.

Grzonka pleaded guilty, and his lawyer argued that the "unusual" involved two parents "unable to cope."

However, the lawyer, Neil Griffin, added that the child was safe despite the short-term exposure and that his client was remorseful after the first hearing.

Eventually, the young father was given a 16-week jail sentence, suspended for a year. However, his younger lover did not receive a formal verdict as they counted her blameless in the entire situation.