BELGOROD, August 22 (Itar-Tass) - Sergei Pomazun, accused of killing six people this past spring, asked for a 25-year prison term in his final statement at the trial at the Belgorod region court on Thursday.

"Explaining his request, Pomazun said the shooting in the street had begun not through his fault," Irina Sazonova, an aide to the chairman of the court told Itar-Tass. Pomazun's lawyer Viktor Yeremeyev had asked the court to take into account his client's partial admission of guilt. The lawyer also insisted that Pomazun was sick and asked for a 25-year prison term.

During the arguments of the parties, the prosecutor said the defendant's guilt was "fully proven" and demanded life imprisonment for Pomazun. The victims' relatives, too, demanded the strictest punishment.

The court recessed until 14:30, Moscow time. The verdict is expected later on Thursday.

On April 22, Pomazun shot and killed three people in a hunting shot in central Belgorod. Then he stole weapons and ammunition, left the shop and killed three more people, including two schoolgirls. The shooting spree was captured by CCTV cameras.

He was detained near the Belgorod railway station in the evening of the following day. He stabbed a police officer several times as he was being detained.

Pomazun was charged with murder of two or more persons for hooligan motives, concealing crimes, illegal turnover of weapons, theft of weapons and ammunition, an attempted murder of law-enforcement officer.

Pomazun served a four-year sentence for theft and was released from prison in December 2012.