Watford man Piotr Kucharski, who claimed to be part of Wagner Group and was detained at a Stonham Aspal combat re-enactment, jailed at The Old Bailey

A Hertfordshire man who claimed to be a member of Wagner Group and threatened attendees at a Suffolk re-enactment has been jailed.

Piotr Kucharski, 49, of The Glebe, Watford, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison at The Old Bailey today.

In October 2023, Kucharski was detained at a combat re-enactment at Stonham Aspal, having attended despite having been banned from the group.

While there, he threatened attendees while claiming to be a part of the Russian state-funded mercenary firm and to have served in Ukraine, the court heard.

During a disagreement with one attendee, Kucharski made a ‘cutthroat’ gesture and, while walking away, began slashing the air with a knife.

Suffolk Police were then alerted to the scene, with officers arresting Kucharski for a public order offence and possession of a bladed article.

However, he found himself re-arrested under terrorism laws after officers found Wagner Group badges sewn to his camouflage jacket.

The investigation was then passed to the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) counter-terrorism policing unit.

After some digging, they found Kucharski went to ‘significant lengths’ to convince others he was a member of the group.

Kucharski was then charged with professing to be a member of a proscribed organisation, namely The Wagner Group, under the Terrorism Act 2000.

ERSOU found no evidence Kucharski was actually a member of the Wagner Group, nor had he fought in Ukraine.

Despite this, pretending to be a member of a banned organisation is still illegal, ERSOU said.

In addition to his sentence, Kucharski will also be on licence for a year after his release.

Following his conviction, Hannah Wilkinson, head of ERSOU, said counter-terrorism officers worked tirelessly across the region to keep communities safe.

“We will continue to ensure those looking to cause harm and disruption are brought to justice,” she said.

“There’s no indication that Kucharski was a member of Wagner Group, however it’s clear that he was intent on causing distress by indicating he had fought for the organisation in Ukraine, particularly given he was carrying a knife at the time. I’m grateful to local officers for promptly arresting him after concerned members of the public raised the alarm.”