Beaten, gassed and handcuffed: ex-police officer from Chornomorsk sentenced

In Chornomorsk, a routine car stop near a gas station resulted in the driver being severely beaten, handcuffed, and held in police custody for hours. Seven years later, a court found the former patrolman guilty of abuse of power.

This was reported by Intent with reference to the verdict of the Chornomorsk City Court.

According to the investigation, it concerns the events of March 2019, when, after stopping the car, the driver was severely beaten, handcuffed and taken to the police station. The incident occurred near the Amik gas station in Chornomorsk. The patrol policemen stopped a Chevrolet Aveo driven by a local resident, explaining that he had allegedly violated the rules of overtaking. The driver asked the police to provide evidence of the violation - a photo or video recording. After that, the conflict escalated sharply.

According to the case file, the police began to force the man out of the car. One of the policemen tried to kick the driver through the passenger seat, while another used tear gas. When the man was dragged to the road, he was thrown to the asphalt, beaten with hands and feet, and then handcuffed.

The court concluded that the victim did not offer any resistance, and the force used was clearly excessive. After the arrest, the man was taken to the Chornomorsk police station, where he was handcuffed for a long time without explanation of the reasons for his detention and without notifying his relatives.

The case also involves an illegal search of the victim's car and personal belongings. The police seized the driver's license, technical passport, insurance policy and car keys without drawing up the necessary protocols.

The victim told the court that he worked as a taxi driver and was transporting passengers that day. According to him, the law enforcement officers not only beat him, but also sprayed gas in his eyes and beat him on the torso after he was lying on the ground. Witnesses confirmed that they had seen the man at the police station with numerous bruises, abrasions and marks from the truncheons.

The victim's wife told the court that she had come to the police station after receiving a call from an unknown man. There she saw her husband handcuffed, with a broken face and bloody clothes. According to her, the police refused to call an ambulance until she appealed to the management of the department.

The former law enforcement officer denied his guilt. He claimed that the driver allegedly resisted and refused to provide documents, so the police were forced to use force and handcuffs. At the same time, the court found these explanations unconvincing, as they contradicted the testimony of the victim, witnesses, video recordings, and expert opinions.

During the trial, it also became known that the police officers were dismissed from the National Police after an internal investigation. The court found the former inspector guilty and sentenced him to four years in prison, a three-year ban on working in law enforcement, and stripped him of his special rank. He was also ordered to pay almost UAH 5,000 in material damage and UAH 200,000 in moral compensation to the victim.

In Odesa, police are also investigating the circumstances of a man's injury on the territory of a military recruitment center. Following the report of the beating, law enforcement officers conducted a search and seized body cameras, electronic media, magazines, and even handcuffs.

Анна Бальчінос