News

A court has recognized the evidence gathered by the Chelyabinsk Region Office of the Investigative Committee sufficient to convict former leader and teacher of Turgoyak children’s field camp Andrei Khilchenko and Yelena Ionina. They were found guilty of a crime under Part 2 of Article 109 of the RF Penal Code (infliction of death by negligence due to improper discharge of professional duties).

The court and investigators have revealed that on 15 July 2016, Khilchenko and Ionina led a hiking excursion for a group of children from Turgoyak camp to the Zaozyorny range located on the bank of Lake Turgoyak. When they reached the observation area the adult leaders of the team violated the requirements of the approved safety instruction and decided that group should go down not a special tourist path but a steep slope with an angle of more than 56 degrees. A 13-year-old girl fell from six meter height and was fatally injured on impact.

The investigator has made a request to the chairman of the Chelyabinsk city education committee and the director of Turgoyak camp to eliminate all the reasons that might have contributed to the crime. Four officials have been disciplined.

The court has sentenced Khilchenko and Ionina to 2.5 years of custodial restraint and banned them from taking any positions related to teaching children for 2 years.