Police detain a man who helped a student destroy a patrol car

Police have tracked down and detained another participant in the conflict in Odesa, during which a patrol police car was vandalized and a student was detained.

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

The detainee, a 29-year-old man, is suspected of breaking the rearview mirror with his hands. Investigators served the man a notice of suspicion of hooliganism, accompanied by particular audacity, committed by a group of persons. The maximum penalty for this crime is four years in prison. The issue of choosing a type of detention is being decided.

The background

On May 14, a group of people began to obstruct police officers during the detention of a citizen who had left the military unit without permission. Aggressive passers-by blocked the movement of the police car, preventing the man from being taken to the military law enforcement service. During the conflict, the citizens physically resisted and damaged the police car. The 33-year-old man, who was wanted for leaving the military unit without permission, was detained and handed over to representatives of the Military Law Enforcement Service.

The offender who damaged the police car with a chain was also detained. He was a 17-year-old resident of Odesa, who was also notified of being suspected of hooliganism. On Monday, May 18, he was released on bail of 66.5 thousand hryvnias set by the court as an alternative to detention in a pre-trial detention center.

Prior to the trial, the prosecutor's office filed a motion demanding that the trial be held in camera. Prosecutors argued that excessive media coverage could harm the interests of the minor. However, the suspect himself, his mother, and his lawyer strongly opposed this and demanded that the hearings remain public. Upon returning from the deliberation room, the court refused the prosecutor's request and the trial was held in open session.

The teenager's defense claimed gross violations of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine by law enforcement agencies during the detention of the minor. According to the lawyer, the mandatory guarantees for the protection of the teenager's rights were not observed during the proceedings. The lawyer emphasized that the teenager's legal representative, his mother, was involved in the case only the day after the incident.

Кирило Бойко