Pensioner who attacked girl in mall faces forced treatment

Investigators in St. Petersburg have completed a criminal case against a 65-year-old man accused of sexually assault an underage girl in a shopping mall. They have now petitioned the court to apply compulsory medical measures against him.

According to the investigation, the incident occurred on 1 September 2025 in the lobby of the London Mall shopping and entertainment center. The 17-year-old victim was walking past with a friend when a bald man suddenly approached her and grabbed her by the crotch. Surveillance footage captured him quickly fleeing the scene afterward.

Police promptly identified the suspect and detained him that same day. The man was placed in a temporary detention facility. A criminal case was opened under the article on violent acts of a sexual nature against a minor. On 4 September, a court decided to arrest the accused.

«Expert examinations have been conducted, and based on their results, a resolution has been sent to the court to apply a compulsory medical measure,» the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for St. Petersburg reported on 21 January.

The man had previously been sent for compulsory psychiatric treatment. In 2017, he was released from criminal liability for making death threats after a forensic psychiatric examination found him legally insane.