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Judge's leniency towards child sex offenders triggers public outcry in Latvia

Xinhua, July 16, 2015 Adjust font size:

A judge's leniency towards two men, found guilty of sexually abusing a little girl, has been met with outcry in Latvia, local media reported on Wednesday.

The judge at the Liepaja city court in south-western Latvia angered the public by sentencing the two child sex offenders to 240 and 200 hours of community service respectively for sexually abusing a minor.

The girl was only five years old when her relatives Jevgenijs Smirecanskis, 48, and his son Olegs Smirecanskis, 22, started abusing her. Nevertheless, they got away with community service instead of real prison terms.

When the news of the paedophiles' sentencing triggers widespread outrage in Latvian society, the Prosecutor General's Office ordered the Kurzeme judicial district's chief prosecutor to look into the ruling of the Liepaja city court and also the decisions taken by the prosecution.

The case will also be examined by the Latvian Justice Ministry and the State Inspectorate for the Protection of Children's Rights.

Meanwhile, local residents are going to stage a picket outside the Liepaja court on July 17 to demand justice for the victim and more severe penalties for her abusers.

The case has also drawn the attention of Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis who said on Wednesday that he disapproved of the sentencing in the case, but that as a state official he could not interfere with the work of the judiciary.

"I believe that such crimes, especially if they are committed against children, must carry an adequate and proportional punishment," Vejonis said. Endit