Man detained on suspicion of dog rape also faces charges of child molestation

Odesa law enforcement officers have opened another criminal proceeding against a defendant in a case of dog cruelty.

This was reported by the press service of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Odesa Oblast.

As part of the pre-trial investigation initiated under Part 3 of Article 299 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, the defendant's involvement in child molestation was also established.

The investigators additionally registered in the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations information under Part 1 of Article 156 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. If proven guilty under this article, he faces restriction of liberty for up to five years or imprisonment for the same term. For satisfying sexual passion with an animal, the man faces imprisonment for a term of five to eight years with confiscation of the animal - also if his guilt is proven.

The regional police leadership also initiated an internal investigation, during which they promise to provide a legal assessment of the actions of each police officer who initially responded to the incident.

The fact is that the activists who reported the incident on social media stated that the suspect's neighbors called the police, but the law enforcement officers who arrived at the scene did not take any action.

It should be noted that over the past decade, the Prosecutor General's Office has recorded 1,599 criminal offenses related to animal cruelty in Ukraine. There are already sentences with real prison terms. In 2024, 178 cases were opened under Article 299 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which exceeded the previous figure of 175 proceedings. The number of cases increased especially after the introduction of new fines in 2018, and in 2021, the penalty for this crime was increased to possible imprisonment. However, due to the war, there was no increased growth in verdicts and proceedings in this category.

Only one in five cases goes to trial, while in 2022-2023, one in four cases was considered.

The court registry has already included cases where accusers of animal cruelty received real prison terms. However, most of the sentences are suspended. For example, in Odesa, a man stabbed a stray dog twice in the neck, causing its death, and received a 5-year suspended sentence.

Кирило Бойко