The Kurzeme district court sentenced an 83-year-old priest to ten years in prison for sexual violence against five girls in the Talsa district, LETA agency found out from the prosecutor’s office.
The man, born in 1941, is accused of having, between August 2018 and April 2022, performed sexual acts with five girls between the ages of seven and 16 against their will, using trust, in order to satisfy his sexual desire through physical contact with the victim’s body. and in four cases a state of helplessness.
The man is also accused of committing acts of a sexual nature without physical contact with the victim’s body in order to arouse the sexual instinct in the victim.
The court found the defendant guilty of the criminal offenses charged against him and sentenced him to ten years of imprisonment and three years of probation supervision.
According to the indictment, at the time when the man was alone with one of the victimized girls, using the helplessness of the girls, that is, the fact that four of the victimized girls were unable to understand the nature and meaning of the actions performed with them due to their youth and individual psychological characteristics, as well as using their authority – being a parish priest – performed sexual acts in order to satisfy his sexual desire in physical contact with the victim’s body.
As a result of the accused man’s illegal actions, the sexual inviolability, morality and normal physical and mental development of the victimized girls were threatened.
The prosecutor is satisfied with the sentence imposed by the court and does not plan to ask the court to prepare a full verdict.
On the other hand, the judgment of the other persons involved in the process can be appealed to the Kurzeme Regional Court.
The prosecutor’s office points out that if there is even the slightest suspicion that a child may have suffered from sexual or other forms of violence, the State Police should be contacted immediately.
In July 2022, the Union of Baptist Churches of Latvia confirmed that one of the Baptist pastors was arrested on suspicion of sexual abuse against a child, stating that the 80-year-old pastor is retired. “During his service, no reports of sexual violence have been received, but the union promises to cooperate with the police to find out the circumstances of the incident. “Five criminal proceedings for sexual violence against minors have been started in Talsi county, and in one of them, the former pastor of Talsi Baptist Church has been arrested,” the press wrote in July 2022.
