Other events in Baltic States

Riga City Kurzeme District Court today sentenced the so called Imanta pedophile to 25 years in prison for sexually assaulting underage girls in one of Riga’s residential neighborhoods, informs LETA.

The man was found guilty on all counts of sex assault charges. The judge also gave him a probation term of three years.

The full text of the verdict will be released on June 30. After that, it can be appealed within ten days.

Prosecutor Agris Skradailis had sought a jail term of 20 years for the defendant.

Before today’s court hearing, defense lawyer Antons Drebnieks told journalists that his client had pleaded guilty on all counts and expressed remorse. Furthermore, the lawyer pointed out that the defendant had become a victim of sexual abuse himself in his youth.

Kristine Sutugina, a spokeswoman for the Prosecutor General's Office, said earlier the man has been charged with rape of minors and lewd conduct against underage persons.

In August 2015, law enforcement authorities detained a 20-year-old man suspected of having committed grave sexual offenses against underage girls in Riga's Imanta and Zasulauks residential neighborhoods in 2014 and 2015.

The suspect was found to be fit for trial. He has been cooperating with investigators and giving testimonies about his crimes. The investigation revealed that the suspect had attempted two unsuccessful assaults on underage girls in fall 2014 that had gone unreported.

It was reported that the man would be charged with four sexual assaults and two attempted sexual assaults on altogether five underage girls.

As reported, a year-long manhunt for the so-called Imanta pedophile ended last August after police successfully located and detained the man. The suspect was found and apprehended as a result of a painstaking and time-consuming investigation.

Since the spring of 2014 the police were carrying out an extensive investigation to locate a person who had sexually assaulted several underage girls in Riga's Imanta suburb.