News

The Lipetsk Region Office of the Investigative Committee has finished the investigation against a married couple charged with a series of major crimes committed against their adopted daughter: failure to discharge the duties of bringing up a minor, torture and murder (Article 156, Part 2, items “d” and “f” of Article 117, Part 2, items “c”, “e”, “g” and “j” of Article 105 of the RF Penal Code). The husband is also charged with sexual abuse and attempt to rape the girl (Part 4, item “b” of Article 132, Part 3 of Article 30, part 4, item “b” of Article 131 of the RF Penal Code).

According to investigators, in September 2015, by the decision of the administration of Bobrov District, Voronezh Region a 5-year-old girl from a special needs boarding school was given to a 33-year-old resident of Lipetsk Region as a foster child and then was adopted by him. No data on specific features of the girl’s development had ever been hidden from the adopting family. Being perfectly aware that those features required correction considering the mental background of the child’s development, the man and his 32-year-old wife raised the girl following a method of their own: for a long time the helpless child was tortured and beaten by those who had recently had intentions to take care of her. Anything that came to hand was put to use for beating, whether it was a stick, a skipping rope or a basin. The child could no longer stand the tortures, she got worse by day, while her apology for parents did not even think about calling a doctor. Instead, they treated her themselves and kept on “raising” her. They applied for qualified medical aid only on 21 March 2016, when the girl had stopped showing any signs of life.

Forensic examinations showed that the girl’s body had traces of more than 60 kinds of effects and fresh scars sustained by the girl during a period between 2 weeks and several months before her death. The investigators revealed that the cause of death was a multitrauma to the body aggravated by heavy blood loss and internal injuries. Additionally, they found out that the girl had been sexually abused.

The husband and wife were put in custody during preliminary investigation and confessed to the crime at the first questioning. They then confirmed the confession on the crime scene and gave detailed account of the crimes. Both of them had psychiatric evaluation which confirmed their sanity and the fact that they were perfectly aware of what they had done.

By now the investigators have enough evidence, so the criminal case with the signed indictment has been referred to court.

Meanwhile, investigators of the Lipetsk Region Office of the Investigative Committee are still working to find out the reasons and conditions that in direct or indirect way made it possible for the crimes to have been committed against the adopted child for a period of six months. The investigation opened against employees of regional social and children’s services charged with negligence and lack of control over the adopted child’s living conditions (Part 2 of Article 293 of the RF Penal Code). The investigators have initiated abrogation of adoption decision.