In the Odesa region, a patrol officer was convicted for forcibly detaining a woman with a disability

A street altercation resulted in a criminal conviction for a law enforcement officer. Nearly four years later, the court ruled that the actions of the patrol officer in Izmail exceeded his official authority. 

This was reported by Intent, citing the ruling of the Izmail City and District Court. 

As the court established, a bicycle patrol crew stopped a driver for a traffic violation on Nezalezhnosti Avenue in October 2022. While issuing a citation for the administrative offense, an argument broke out between one of the patrol officers and the driver. A local resident witnessed the conflict and criticized the officer’s manner of communication. After that, the officers’ attention shifted to her.

According to the case file, one of the officers used physical force and handcuffs against the woman, while the defendant helped hold her arms behind her back. The victim informed the officers that she had a second-degree disability and health issues, but the use of force continued. As a result, the woman became ill and was subsequently hospitalized. A medical examination confirmed that she had sustained a bruise on her arm.

In court, the law enforcement officer did not admit guilt. He claimed that he had only played a supporting role, and that the decision to use handcuffs was made by his partner. The defendant also stated that he called an ambulance after the woman became ill.

However, the court concluded that these explanations were contradicted by the testimony of the victim and witnesses, as well as by video footage from the police officers’ body cameras and an eyewitness’s cell phone. According to the court’s assessment, the recordings show him helping his colleague restrain the victim.

Witnesses also testified in court that she repeatedly complained of pain and asked them to stop using force. At the same time, the officers continued to restrain her in handcuffs for about 15–20 minutes. 

The court specifically emphasized that the woman did not offer armed resistance, did not threaten the lives of the police officers, and did not pose a danger to those around her. Furthermore, the law restricts the use of special force against the elderly and people with disabilities unless there are exceptional circumstances.

The court found the patrol officer guilty and sentenced him to five years in prison, with a three-year ban on holding positions in law enforcement agencies. At the same time, he was exempted from serving the principal sentence and placed on probation for three years. Furthermore, the court ordered the convicted man to pay the victim more than 41,000 hryvnias in legal fees.

Also in June, the Odesa Regional Migration Service revoked the immigration permit for Turkey’s citizenYildiz Ugur, who had beaten a woman for criticizing the service at his restaurant.

Анна Бальчінос