4.  The applicant was born in 1963 and he is presently detained in Hrubieszów Prison, Poland. 5.  On 21 September 1999 the applicant was convicted of a driving offence by the Board for Administrative Offences at the Włodawa District Court (Kolegium d.s. wykroczeń). He appealed.
On 29 November 1999 the Włodawa District Court (Sąd Rejonowy) dismissed his appeal. 6.  On 9 March 2001 the applicant was arrested by the police. On 12 March 2001 the Włodawa District Court (Sąd Rejonowy) ordered that the applicant be remanded in custody in view of the existence of a reasonable suspicion that he had committed several offences of fraud. The applicant had allegedly been corresponding with several men from different countries, passing himself off as a lady wishing to meet them. 7.  On 3 December 2001 the Włodawa District Court prolonged the applicant’s detention, finding that it was highly probable that he had committed the offences with which he had been charged. The court further found that there was a risk that the applicant might go into hiding or obstruct the proceedings.
That decision was upheld on appeal on 17 December 2001. 8.  On 31 January 2002 the applicant was indicted on charges of fraud against ten Dutch, French and German nationals who had given him money under false pretences, believing that the applicant was a women interested in meeting and visiting them. In the correspondence with the victims the applicant had been using a false name “Narcissus Flower” (Narcyza Kwiatek) and had obtained from them a total of 270 German Marks and 1,600 US Dollars. 9.  The applicant filed an application for release, but on 11 February 2002 the Włodawa District Court dismissed it reiterating the original grounds for the detention. The court further prolonged his detention, finding that the applicant’s place of permanent residence was far from the trial court and, if released, he would obstruct the proper course of proceedings. Simultaneously, the court dismissed the applicant’s request to be released on bail. 10.  On 8 March, 6 June and 30 July 2002 the Włodawa District Court prolonged the applicant’s detention on remand. The decisions repeated the same grounds for the applicant’s detention: the reasonable suspicion against him, the severity of the anticipated sentence and the fear that he might go into hiding or otherwise obstruct the proceedings. 11.  On 5 August 2002 the Włodawa District Court gave judgment. The applicant was convicted as charged and sentenced to three years’ imprisonment and a fine. 12.  The applicant lodged an appeal. 13.  On 14 August 2002 the Lublin Regional Court released the applicant on bail. The court found that the original reasons for keeping the applicant in detention had ceased to exist since the applicant had no previous conviction and had a permanent place of residence. 14.  On 15 July 2003 the Lublin Regional Court partly amended the judgment. It appears that the judgment is final. 15.  The applicant submits that during his detention his correspondence, in particular that with the Court, was censored by the authorities. In March 2001 the Włodawa District Prosecutor decided to obtain and control the correspondence from the applicant’s post office box - apparently during the investigation stage. The applicant’s appeals against those decisions were dismissed by the Lublin Regional Prosecutor. 16.  On 4 April 2001 the Registry sent a letter to the applicant addressed to his post office box. The applicant provided the Registry with the original of this letter and complained that it had been censored by the authorities. On the top of the Registry’s letter there is a stamp: “District Prosecutor Bogusław Lechocki” (Prokurator Prokuratury Rejonowej Bogusław Lechocki), a hand-written note: “censored, 12 June 2001” (“Ocenzurowano, 12/06/2001”) and an illegible signature. 17.  On 28 February 2002 the Registry received the applicant’s letter of 14 February 2002. The envelope bears a hand-written note: “Włodawa District Court” (S.R. Włodawa). The envelope, which is addressed to the Registrar, the European Court of Human Rights, bears signs of having been opened after being sealed: its right side had been cut open and then resealed with a white self-adhesive paper slip. It is postmarked 18 February 2002. 18.  On 19 March 2002 the Registry received the applicant’s letter of 5 March 2002. The envelope, which is addressed to the Registrar, the European Court of Human Rights, bears a hand-written note: “Włodawa District Court” (SR Włodawa). The envelope bears signs of having been opened after being sealed: its right side had been cut open and then resealed with five white self-adhesive paper slips. It is postmarked 8 March 2002.