5.  The applicant was born in 1969. He is currently serving a prison sentence in Strzelce Opolskie prison. 6.  In January 2002 the applicant was detained on suspicion of murder and membership of a criminal gang. 7.  On 21 June 2004 the Gliwice Regional Court convicted the applicant of murder and sentenced him to fifteen years' imprisonment. The applicant appealed. 8.  On 25 November 2004 the Katowice Court of Appeal in part quashed and in part upheld the first-instance judgment. 9.  On 18 January 2005 the applicant was served with written grounds for that judgment. The court informed him that it was open to him to lodge a cassation appeal against it with the Supreme Court. 10.  By a decision of 16 February 2005 the court allowed the applicant's request for legal aid. 11.  In a letter to the Court of Appeal dated 3 March 2005 the legal‑aid lawyer informed the court that she had found no grounds on which to prepare a cassation appeal. A copy of that letter was served on the applicant on 14 March 2005. 12.  By a letter of 13 April 2005 the court informed the applicant about the legal-aid lawyer's refusal to prepare and lodge a cassation appeal with the Supreme Court. By the same letter the court informed the applicant that as he had already been granted legal aid, no grounds existed on which to grant him assistance by another legal aid lawyer.
The court further informed the applicant that the thirty-day time‑limit for lodging a cassation appeal would start to ran anew on the day on which the applicant was served with that letter. 13.  On 6 June 2005 the Katowice Court of Appeal refused to entertain a cassation appeal filed by the applicant himself as it did not comply with the applicable formal requirements.