From Theft to Robbery
Crimes classified as particularly serious due to their significant public danger are rarely committed in small areas like the Braslav District. The responsibility for committing crimes of this category entails imprisonment for a term exceeding 12 years. In 2014, one such crime was committed in the territory of the Braslav District.
On one of the days in August, P. decided to visit an old acquaintance A., who had been repeatedly convicted and had recently been released after serving another sentence. Upon meeting, the young men consumed a certain amount of alcohol, after which they decided to go for a ride. Getting into the car owned by P., the friends headed to a neighboring village. On the way, A. and P. encountered an acquaintance F., who was on his way to work, offered him wine, and invited him to join them, to which F. gladly agreed, forgetting about work. After consuming all the alcohol, P., A., and the joined F. suddenly realized that they did not have enough money to buy another portion of alcohol. P. found a way out of the situation by suggesting to his friends to "borrow" money from an old acquaintance who lived alone in a remote village. The proposal was approved. Approaching the lonely house, P. and A. got out of the car and headed towards the pensioner's residence. Upon entering, P. demanded from the old man (later the victim L.) 50,000 non-denominated rubles, claiming that he was a fire service employee and L. had to pay him a fine for the absence of a fire alarm. Seeing that the young men were in a state of alcohol intoxication, the pensioner did not argue and handed over the money to them.
Having accomplished their plan, the friends headed to a store, where they met an acquaintance S. and told him how they had deceived the old man. Previously convicted multiple times, S. immediately realized that they could "earn" even more this way and suggested to P., A., and F. to go back to the old man and take all his remaining pension. After discussing their course of action, P., A., F., and S. headed back to the pensioner. This time, P. and F. distracted the old man while S. and A. attempted to break into the house through the window. However, the old man noticed how the two were pushing out his window frame. Realizing that the plan had failed, S. decided to act differently. One by one, he began to strike L. with his hands and feet on various parts of the body. Taking advantage of this, P., A., and F. rushed into the house and began searching for money. Finding a plastic bag containing L.'s entire pension, the criminals left the beaten old man and drove away.
Through their actions, P., A., F., and S. caused L. not only property damage but also significant harm to health. The victim suffered bodily injuries classified as serious due to the danger to life. The actions of P., A., and F. were qualified under part 2 of Article 207 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus (use of violence dangerous to the life and health of the victim and threat of such violence for the purpose of immediate seizure of property (robbery), committed repeatedly, by a group of persons, with penetration into the dwelling), while S.'s actions were qualified under part 3 of Article 207 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus (robbery), committed repeatedly, by a group of persons, with penetration into the dwelling, causing serious bodily harm).
By the verdict of the Braslav District Court, all four were found guilty, and the criminals will spend from 6 to 11 years behind bars.
Senior Assistant Prosecutor
of the Braslav District
S.P. Harbus