A gymnastics coach was convicted in Dnipro for sexually abusing an 11-year-old student

In Dnipro, a 53-year-old former artistic gymnastics coach will serve a seven-year prison sentence for the sexual abuse of a minor. The convicted man attempted to appeal the court’s previous verdict, but prosecutors fully substantiated the validity of the sentence and defended the prosecution’s position in the appellate court, which rejected the man’s appeal. 

This was reported on Monday, June 1, by the press service of the Office of the Prosecutor General.

The investigation established that in 2018, over a period of six months, the perpetrator committed lewd acts against his 11-year-old student under the false pretext of her participating in a photo shoot for sports underwear for acrobatics. According to the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office, the man would keep the student after class at least twice a week, force her to wear revealing underwear, and photograph her. For a long time, the girl was afraid to tell her family what was happening, but eventually told her mother, who immediately contacted law enforcement.

The former coach’s guilt was fully confirmed by the evidence gathered, witness testimony, the victim’s own statements, and the findings of expert examinations, although the man himself never admitted his guilt. The convicted man will serve the sentence imposed by the court under Part 2 of Article 156 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which provides for imprisonment for a term of 5 to 8 years. Information about the offender will also be entered into the Unified Register of Persons Convicted of Crimes Against the Sexual Freedom and Sexual Integrity of Minors.

In Volyn, a court found a 44-year-old man guilty of using social media to sexually abuse young girls in Ukraine and abroad. 

In Kyiv, a 22-year-old native of Sumy will stand trial for the rape of an 11-year-old schoolgirl.