SYNPOSIS

BRITAIN’S only war crimes trial began on February 9, 1999. The defendant at the Old Bailey was a 78-year-old former British Rail ticket collector known as Tony the Pole.

In fact, he was Andrei Sawoniuk, born in Domachevo, now part of Belarus. When the Nazis arrived there in 1941, Sawoniuk was quick to join their cause.

Among the crimes he was accused of was the killing of 15 Jewish women. The prosecution witnesses included Sawoniuk’s former childhood friends, whose families were murdered by the Nazis.

Convicted and sentenced to life, Sawoniuk died six years later. Based on interviews with survivors and witnesses, this is a moving and compelling account of the meticulous workings of the legal system in the face of crimes no less terrible for having been committed so long ago.

– The Ticket Collector from Belarus is co-authored by Mike Anderson and Neil Hanson. Published by S&S, 384pp

. Recommended

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