Members of Perth’s Polish community are making efforts to support the children of a woman who was fatally injured, by setting up collection boxes and a bank account.
Aleksandra Korkus (28) died at a flat in Firbank Road on June 16. Police and paramedics discovered she had been seriously injured at around 8.30 that evening. She was taken to Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, where she later died.
A 38-year-old man has appeared at Perth Sheriff Court in connection with her death.
The Polish consulate in Edinburgh has contacted Ms Korkus’s family and liaised with the police and Perth and Kinross Council’s social work department.
Neighbours said floral tributes have been left outside the property where the alleged incident took place.
There is a strong Polish presence in Perth, with the town being twinned with Bydgoszcz and with many Poles being based in the Fair City during the second world war. A Polish war cemetery is located within the Wellshill cemetery.
Some members of the Polish community are rallying around to try to help Ms Korkus’s two children five-year-old Nadia and Alan, who is two.
The Perth Polish Support Group is attempting to set up a bank account to raise money for the children. It is also trying to set up a Facebook page in memory of Ms Korkus, who originally came from Mikolow, near Katowice.
A spokeswoman for the support group told The Courier, “We are Poles from the Perthshire area deeply touched by what has happened in our community. We are still in the process of opening the bank account where the donations could be made.
“This bank account will be with the HSBC and it will be activated as soon as certain correspondence address is verified according to the bank’s requirements.
“In the meantime we have prepared many collection boxes which are distributed through Polish shops, major employers of Polish workers and many other places where the Polish community is visible.”
She said Nadia and Alan had experienced tragedy, and “their whole world has fallen apart. The siblings’ life will never be the same again.”
“Their mother’s family will do their best to provide the children with a warm and stable home and this is where we, the Polish community from Perthshire, could help.
“We’re collecting money for Nadia, Alan and their new family. From legal fees, clothes and school equipment, to a much needed holiday trip, our generosity will determine the extend of it.
“We are asking people to donate by the yellow collection boxes, by PayPal or a bank transfer to help mend their broken future. We are still working on the Facebook page, and are in touch with Aleksandra’s family and do what we can to help assist them in moving on.”
Perth and Kinross Provost Dr John Hulbert pledged his support.
“This is a great tragedy for the children,” he said. “We recognised the strength of the Polish community in Perth and, indeed, the east of Scotland. There is a very strong Polish community in this area and I support what they are doing.
“From my own point of view, I back these moves to provide support to the children of Ms Korkus and hope they raise enough money to pay for the children to go to their grandparents.”
The support group was set up in response to needs expressed by the Polish community who wanted a meeting place for advice and support.