On May 13, 2021, the District Court of Debrecen found the 20-year-old accused who insulted a little girl in Balmazújváros guilty of the crime of sexual coercion. The court sentenced the young man with no criminal record to 2 years in prison and suspended its execution for 5 years, up to the statutory maximum.
In addition, the court definitively prohibited the accused from engaging in any occupation or activity related to the education, supervision, care and treatment of persons under the age of 18.
According to the facts established by the court, the 12-year-old victim was riding a bicycle in Balmazújváros on September 17, 2019, at about 4:30 p.m., when she met the accused, who was walking there. The accused turned to the little girl and then asked her to kiss him. The cycling minor did not want to talk to the accused or kiss him. The man didn’t care, he just walked past the victim and grabbed her from behind with both hands, stroked her arm, and then even grabbed the minor’s chest. The frightened victim yelled at the man and asked him to stop, and then tried to run away with her bike, but the accused stopped her. The man then grabbed the victim again and demanded a kiss. The little girl then slapped the accused’s hand and drove off with her bike quickly. The accused ran after the victim for a while, however, he could not catch up with her. When the little girl already felt safe she called her mother and then they reported the incident to the police.
Judge Dr. Judit Burai said in the oral reasoning of the verdict that the act is punishable by five to ten years in prison. The court also considered the lapse of time as an attenuating circumstance in the court’s consideration that the accused was a young adult with a criminal record.
The court’s judgment is not final. The prosecutor’s office filed an appeal against the decision on the grounds of aggravation, while the accused and his counsel primarily filed for dismissal, secondarily for incorrect legal classification, and mitigation. The case continues at the Debrecen General Court.
Debrecen General Court
Picture: illustration.
