From Echo Moskvy:
100,000 rouble [£2,000, 2,250€] fine for kicking at a policeman
This was the punishment that singer Vitas received today. His trial was fast-tracked throughout the Moscow courts because the perpetrator repented and admitted his guilt fully. This spring, Vitas was involved in a traffic accident at the All-Russia Exhibition Centre, refused to undergo a medical test, and kicked a police officer.
[Note: The headline is phrased in an unusual way. The verb used can take a direct object, meaning to hit someone, but the author has chosen to make the policeman an indirect object, which seems less violent. Some of the discussion below focuses on this point]
Comments from Echo Moskvy:
edkinatr:
“For kicking at a policeman”. Original! Maybe “For kicking a policeman”?
a_tas: (responding to above)
“For kicking at a policeman.” Original! ))) It’s as though he missed…
wedrin: (responding to above)
Maybe there’s no fixed penalty for kicking “at a policeman”?
artemsergeevich:
For hitting a policeman out of hooliganism in a (possible) drunken or drugged state, this man gets a fine that is insubstantial for him personally… meanwhile, the second year has passed in which people are in jail for “holding a police officers by their clothing”.
nikodim___: (responding to above)
Well yeah, they were sober and acting intentionally
a0213: (responding to above)
So sobriety is an aggravating circumstance and the intent is decided by the level of intoxication?
nikodim___: (responding to above)
Intoxication is an aggravating circumstance, but not as serious as criminal intent, malice aforethought, and acting as part of a criminal society.
marianbaidek:
Russian courts are the most human courts in the world! I wonder if this clearly delinquent man will continue to delight audiences with his voice?
cutercap: (responding to above)
Do you want it to?
marianbaidek: (responding to above)
Is “it” the singing or setting a precedent? If we’re talking about legal precedent, we need to look for similar sentences in similar situations.
sall:
VIP sentence for a VIP?! If you’re a star and you repent, can you not even get community service?
!
mamiluk:
“100,000 rouble [£2,000, 2,250€] fine for kicking at a policeman” What, is he a footballer?
porto777: (responding to above)
If he’d been a footballer, he’d have got a yellow card.
timur1453:
Is there a student discount, and can you kick the shit out of a pig and pay in installments?
