The Pustomyty District Prosecutor’s Office proved in court the guilt of a 29-year-old resident of Zakarpattia Oblast, who was convicted of unlawful seizure of a vehicle (Part 2, Article 289 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The sentence is 5 years’ imprisonment with confiscation of property.
The crime took place in late November last year near the village of Sokilnyky in Lviv District. The owner had left his Volkswagen Golf 2 on the roadside and walked away. As the car was unlocked and the keys were in the ignition, the perpetrator seized the opportunity and made off with the vehicle.
After the owner reported the car missing to police, officers located the suspect within a matter of hours — he was found sitting in the stolen vehicle in the middle of a field, where it had become stuck.
The investigation also established that the convicted man had previously faced criminal charges for an identical offence and had only recently been released. He will remain in custody until the sentence comes into legal force.
The pre-trial investigation was conducted by Police Department No. 3 of Lviv District Police Directorate No. 2 of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Lviv Oblast.