MOSCOW, April 9. /TASS/. Moscow’s Meschansky District Court sentence Pavel Grin-Romanov, who sprayed riot police office in the face with pepper gas during January 31 unauthorized rally, to 3.5 years in prison, the court press service told TASS.
"The Court ruled Grin-Romanov guilty, he was sentenced to 3.5 in general regime colony," the court spokeswoman told TASS. Grin-Romanov was found guilty of violence against an authority representative that poses danger for a representative’s health.
The prosecution asked for 8 years, while this offence carries the maximum penalty of 10 years. The defense argued that this penalty would be too harsh, considering that the perpetrator admitted his guilt, repented and apologized before the victim.
"My client’s apologies were accepted, so we asked for a suspended sentence," says lawyer Artyom Nemov.
The sentence has not entered effect yet and could be appealed in the Moscow City court.
According to the investigators, on January 31, Grin-Romanov used a pepper spray against a police officer on duty during the unauthorized rally on Komsomolskaya Square.