Teens Face Verdict for Torturing Schoolgirl in Urals
The girl was forced to undress in winter and was abused
In Yekaterinburg, an investigation into an attempted murder case concluded after a year and a half. Two teenagers forced a schoolgirl to undress in the middle of winter, put her on her knees, and began to «punish» her while filming it. The victim was kicked and beaten with sticks, her fingers were broken, letters were carved into her back with a knife, and she was forced to apologize.
The accused face a serious sentence for abusing the girl
The prosecution requested six years in a penal colony for the attackers; the verdict will be announced tomorrow, August 17. Relatives disagree with the charges—here is what they say in defense of the teenagers.
The attackers filmed the abuse of the schoolgirl on video (we have shortened it)
«They Helped Her Get Dressed and Provided Assistance»
«We are accused of attempted murder: allegedly they wanted to kill her, but were scared off. She has no broken wrist. A finger phalanx was broken, the one that was bent in the opposite direction. Bruises, scratches, and shallow cuts on her back (where the letters were carved. — Editor»s note). They filmed the video, then helped her get dressed, pack her bag, and explained how to get to the bus station. They did not run away. The girl confirmed this in court,« says the mother of one of the accused.
According to her, the victim stated in court that she did not suffer any psychological trauma. She was voluntarily paid 250,000 rubles (about $2,700 at current rates), without waiting for a civil lawsuit (600,000 rubles for both. — Editor«s note). The girl spent the money on a new phone and clothes, and refused help from a psychologist.
«No one wanted to kill her. The task was: beat with sticks, carve a drug shop logo on her back, cut her hair, break both arms, douse with green dye, [urinate on her]. They only beat her, broke a finger, and made cuts. The accusation says someone allegedly scared them off, but no one else was seen on camera. There was no task to kill; they should have been tried for the injuries they inflicted—which is light harm to health,» our interviewee believes.
Mysterious Handlers
The version that the 17-year-old girl worked as a drug courier and was subjected to punishments was confirmed in court. The cruel reprisal was planned by the owners of a drug shop. In correspondence, they lured the Pervouralsk schoolgirl to a deserted place, where she came with a flashlight to look for a stash, but hired attackers from the internet—16-year-old Artyom and 17-year-old Vlad—were already waiting for her. They were given the victim«s data.
«This account, from which the tasks came, was given to them by older guys from Berezovsky. Like, if you want to earn money, do tasks. And they could no longer refuse—they were intimidated that then the same athletes would come for them and punish them the same way,» explains the mother of the accused.
The customers are listed in the case as unidentified persons. Most likely, they are in another city or even another country.
«They just treat children like pawns. They manipulate and keep them in fear. They were promised 50,000 rubles (about $550 at current rates), but of course they got nothing,» the woman believes.
Her son beat the schoolgirl, while the second boy filmed everything on video.
The guys were detained on hot pursuit; throughout the investigation they were held in custody.
«We Cry at Every Hearing»
«When I arrived at the Investigative Committee, he couldn»t even speak, his face was drained. He repented many times and many times asked the victim to forgive him. He asked her mother for forgiveness. We cry at every hearing and beg for forgiveness. He does not deny responsibility, is ready to compensate for the harm and serve a deserved punishment. He says: «I made a very big mistake. I should have chosen my friends differently»,« recalls the mother of the accused.
She cites his desire to earn money quickly as the reason her son agreed to this crime.
«He was dating a girl and wanted to give her gifts, but the girl dumped him back in December. She wrote a couple of letters and that was it, even though he asked me to send her flowers. My son is having a very hard time with the arrest and the separation. For the first four months he didn»t know what to do with himself. He was a big help in the family, as the eldest son. He started doing sports there, he draws. He participates in all competitions, has certificates,« says the teenager»s mother.
According to her, her son is having a hard time dealing with what happened and repents.
«He is very sad and misses us. He says: »Mom, you are the dearest to me.« We see each other every month. He is in a juvenile colony. I spoke with his educator and psychologist. He is having a hard time with everything, understands he made a mistake, and repents. His loved ones are waiting for him in freedom. Classmates and friends support him,» our interviewee concluded.
The reprisal against the 17-year-old schoolgirl from Pervouralsk was carried out on the evening of November 5 in a park on Malysheva Street. The injured girl reached a nearby cafe, from where an ambulance was called. The crew took her to City Clinical Hospital No. 9. You can read the full transcript of what happened on the censored video.
We are collecting all information about this terrible story in a separate topic.
