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In Sakhalin Region, a married couple found guilty of committing a number of offences including against minors

The evidence collected by the Sakhalin Regional Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia was found by court to be sufficient to sentence a 45-year-old resident of the regional centre and his 31-year-old wife. Depending on the role of each, they were found guilty of committing offences under Part 2 of Article 105 (murder), Part 2 of Article 126 (kidnapping), Part 4 of Article 131 (rape committed against a person under 14 - 2 episodes), Part 2 of Article 135 (sexual abuse), Part 4 of Article 132 of the Criminal Code of Russia (violent sexual actions against a person under age of 14).

The investigation and the court found that in July 2020, the defendant and his wife were driving a minibus in the direction of Lugovoye and saw an unaccompanied 8-year-old girl walking along the side of the road. The couple decided to kidnap the child in order to satisfy the man's sexual needs. Taking advantage of the girl's credulity, including the fact that there was a woman in the car and that the child did not know her way around town, under the pretext of helping her get to her destination, the defendants tricked the child into getting into the car. Taking advantage of the helpless state of the child, unable to adequately assess what was happening to her and unable to call for help, the accused took the girl to a wooded area near the village of Podezhdaevo in Kholmsk district. While in the car, the man, being in a state of alcoholic intoxication, using violence, committed rape of the minor victim, followed by violent sexual actions against her. In order to conceal the crimes committed, the accused put a plastic bag over the child's head, cutting off the air supply, and held him there until she died. Then he carried the victim's body into a nearby river, covering it with torn vegetation.

In addition, the defendant in 2001 committed the murder of a PRC citizen and the murder of an unidentified resident of the regional center, as well as committing indecent assault and rape of a 12-year-old girl in 2018.

The court sentenced the man to life imprisonment in a special regime penal colony, with the use of medical measures in the form of compulsory observation and treatment by a psychiatrist at the place of imprisonment; the woman was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment in a general regime penal colony.