Sentence for child abuse in Odesa region is under threat

Yesterday, on November 3, at 14:00, the Rozdilnyansky District Court held a second hearing of the case of Vitaliy Tsybulsky, a native of the village of Yegorivka, Rozdilnyansky district, Odesa region. The man is accused of systematic violence against children.

This was reported by an Int'l correspondent.

After an investigation that lasted for several years, in 2023, the Rozdilnyansky District Court of Odesa Oblast found Tsybulsky guilty of systematic sexual violence and threats against the minor children of his common-law wife. The man was sentenced to 14 years in prison. However, the sentence was overturned due to violations of procedural rules during the trial.

The Court of Appeal found that some of the court hearings were not technically recorded, which was recognized as a violation of the right to defense and sent the case for a new trial. Throughout the trial, Tsybulsky completely denied his guilt. He did not plead guilty either during the pre-trial investigation or during the court hearings.

Despite this, the court of first instance found the prosecution's arguments convincing. The court considered the testimony of the children, interrogated in the presence of their legal representative and a psychologist, as well as the testimony of their mother and grandmother, as credible.

The defendant, on the other hand, tried to discredit the victims, claiming that his wife allegedly acted for selfish reasons, and that the children gave false testimony under her influence. The court found these allegations groundless.

The Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office reported that the measure of restraint for the accused was left unchanged - he remains in custody. The court is now moving on to the stage of examining the evidence.

Earlier, Intent wrote how to recognize child exploitation on the Internet. Experts have identified the main threats of online sexual abuse: sexting, online grooming and sextortion. In order not to miss the moment when trouble can still be avoided, experts recommend that you first of all communicate with children and adolescents. But there is also emergency help available, such as counseling support lines and reporting portals.

Катерина Глушко