Translated by Ollie Richardson & Angelina Siard
12:14:09
19/12/2018
ukranews.com
The court sentenced to 2 years of imprisonment and amnestied a serviceman condemned for murdering a colleague through negligence while patrolling the settlement of Sartana near Mariupol in the Donetsk region. This is stated in the court verdict.
It is established that the defendant soldier Sergey Pedko was mobilised and served as an intelligence agent in the 14th separate mechanised brigade of the Armed Forces.
At about midnight on August 9th 2015 he, together with a colleague, patrolled the territory of the military unit near the settlement of Sartana in the zone of the anti-terrorist operation (ATO).
During a patrol he noticed an unidentified person who moved towards the military man.
The defendant gave the command “Stop! Who is it?”, but did not warn the intruder with the exclamation “Stand still, or I will shoot!” and, also in defiance of the requirements of the charter of garrison service, did not call his immediate superior to the scene and put a bullet into the chamber of his Kalashnikov needlessly.
The soldier entered into a quarrel with the violator, as a result of which his AKS-74 submachine gun accidentally fired towards a private who was nearby.
As a result the colleague of the accused soldier received 6 bullet wounds in his stomach, a wound to the back, and a wound to the hip.
The military serviceman died from his wounds.
In the court session the accused Pedko fully admitted to committing a crime and sincerely regretted his deeds.
It is noted that he has a family and minor children, and is a disabled veteran of the III category and a combatant.
The defence of the defendant asked the court to apply to the soldier the law on amnesty for participants of the ATO.
The court met this requirement and in December of the current year pronounced a sentence to the soldier.
The court found Pedko guilty according to Part 2 of Article 414 (violation of rules of weapon handling which led to the death of other persons) of the Criminal Code, sentenced him to 2 years of prison, but exempted him from punishment on the basis of the law on amnesty.
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