ST. PETERSBURG, January 17 (RAPSI) – The Priozersky City Court of the Leningrad Region has sentenced priest Gleb Grozovsky to 14 years in a high security penal colony, finding him guilty of sexual abuse against underage pupils of recreation camps, RAPSI correspondent reports from the courtroom.
The trial lasted over seven months and was held behind closed doors, yet the press was allowed to stay during the sentencing. Grozovsky was found guilty on all charges. In addition to the prison term, he has to pay each victim 400,000 rubles (about $7,000) as compensation of moral damages.
On Monday, a prosecutor demanded a 15-year prison sentence for Grozovsky. Moreover, the prosecutor asked a court to prohibit the defendant from practicing his profession for 2 years.According to investigators, Grozovsky committed several sexual crimes against minors in 2011 and 2013.In April 2014, he was put on the international wanted list.
Israeli police arrested the priest in September. In January 2015, a court in Jerusalem ruled that the priest should be extradited to Russia pursuant to the European Convention on Extradition. The ruling was appealed but rejected.
In April 2016, the Justice Minister signed an order on Grozovsky’s extradition.
In September 2016, the priest was extradited from Israel to Russia. Defense lawyers claim that charges against Grozovsky are politically motivated.