The Khmelnytskyi Court of Appeals has issued a verdict against former police officer Valerii Stepanuk for exceeding his official authority. The officer assaulted a resident of the village of Velyka Rishnivka who was involved in a theft. A few hours after the incident, the victim passed away. The first-instance court acquitted the accused, but upon re-examination of the case, he was sentenced to four years in prison.
According to the verdict dated January 6, the incident took place on January 10, 2018, in the village of Velyka Rishnivka, Shepetivka district. That morning, the police received a call regarding a theft from the home of a local resident. A investigative team, including Senior Lieutenant of Police Valerii Stepanuk, arrived at the scene. The complainant reported that the day before, a fellow villager had stolen feed beets from her barn. Additionally, she stated that the man had previously taken a chainsaw from her deceased brother and had not returned it.
After speaking with the victim, Valerii Stepanuk, along with other officers, went to the suspect's house. The accused entered the man's summer kitchen and began demanding the return of the chainsaw. According to the investigation, when the resident of Velyka Rishnivka went to the shed for the tool, Officer Valerii Stepanuk followed him inside and locked the door.
“The accused exceeded the limits of his official powers and struck the man several times on various parts of his body with his fists, feet, and a special tool – a rubber baton PR-73,” the court reported.
As a result, the victim sustained minor injuries, including bruising of the skin and soft tissues in the areas of his buttocks, shoulder, and more. After the beating, the man returned home, where he died around 7:00 PM from ischemic heart disease.
The first-instance court acquitted the police officer, as the prosecutors were unable to prove his guilt. However, during the case review, presiding judge of the Khmelnytskyi Court of Appeals Tetiana Topchii found Valerii Stepanuk guilty under Part 2 of Article 365 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (exceeding official authority by an employee of a law enforcement agency) and sentenced him to four years in prison, prohibiting him from working in law enforcement for three years.
Additionally, the accused is required to pay the family of the deceased 80,000 UAH in moral damages and compensate 62,000 UAH in court costs.