Kharkiv Court of Appeal has increased the sentence of a 50-year-old man found guilty of repeatedly raping his three underage stepdaughters, imposing a life sentence. This was reported by the prosecutor's office.
Earlier, the court of first instance sentenced the man to 15 years' imprisonment. The prosecutor's office considered such a sentence disproportionate to the gravity of the crimes committed and appealed the verdict.
During the hearing at Kharkiv Court of Appeal, the prosecutor personally maintained the prosecution, insisting that there can be no leniency for crimes against children. The court agreed with the arguments of the prosecution and replaced the sentence with life imprisonment.
According to the prosecutor's office, the crimes took place at night in the victims' home, when the children were asleep and at their most vulnerable. At first, the man committed sexual violence against the eldest child, and later began to prey on the younger stepdaughters as well.
The prosecutor's office notes that efforts to ensure the harshest possible punishment for crimes in which the victims are children are systematic in nature and are already yielding results in various regions of Ukraine.