The Supreme Court upheld the life imprisonment sentence for robberies in the Vitebsk region

The Supreme Court of Belarus upheld the regional court's verdict against two defendants in a high-profile robbery case in Beshenkovichi and Vitebsk districts. They were sentenced to life imprisonment, reported Oleg Antonenko, senior prosecutor of the regional prosecutor's office.

Recall that two previously repeatedly convicted residents of Shumilino met in places of deprivation of liberty. After their release in 2014, they met and decided to commit robberies in houses. They prepared thoroughly for this: they used masks, clubs, and hid in other districts to cover their tracks.

In two episodes, their victims were married couples - residents of the village of Berestni, Beshenkovichi district, and the village of Podlazniki, Vitebsk district. The men were hit on the head with sticks, which caused the death of two victims. Using violence against women, the attackers seized money, property, and gold items. Their actions were qualified under Part 3 of Article 207 and Part 2 of Article 139 of the Criminal Code for each episode.

"Given the exceptional danger to society and the severity of the consequences, the judicial board for criminal cases of the regional court agreed with the position of the state prosecution and concluded that it was necessary to impose a final sentence on them for the totality of crimes in the form of life imprisonment with confiscation of property.

The civil claim of the victims for material compensation for moral damage in the amount of 450 million rubles was also satisfied. The hearing took place at the end of May this year. Then one of the accused filed a cassation appeal with the judicial board for criminal cases of the Supreme Court. But it established that the verdict was lawful and well-founded. It entered into legal force," Oleg Antonenko said.

Ekaterina Knyazeva, BELTA