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Penalty for actor charged with attacking police officer changed for 1-year suspension term

Ustinov’s case caused public outcry — art directors of Moscow’s theaters and actors voiced their support for him

MOSCOW, September 30. /TASS/. The Moscow City Court changed punishment for actor Pavel Ustinov from 3.5 years in a colony for a suspended sentence of one year for using violence against an officer of the Federal National Guard Troops Service, TASS reported.

"[The court rules] to change Tverskoi Court’s verdict for Ustinov, changing the category of the committed crime from a severe crime to a crime of average gravity and impose suspended punishment in the form of one year of imprisonment with a trial period of two years," the judge announced the verdict.

The lawyers will continue to strive for the abolishment of the punishment. "The lawyers produced supporting evidence of Ustinov’s innocence. Despite the fact that the verdict has come into force, we have legal opportunities to appeal against it," lawyer Dmitry Cheshkov stated.

After the court’s ruling had been announced, Ustinov pled not guilty and said he was going to strive for the verdict’s abolishment. "I did not commit the crime, and I do not agree with the court’s ruling. We will strive for the abolishment of the verdict," Ustinov claimed.

On September 16, Moscow’s Tverskoi Court sentenced Ustinov to 3.5 years of imprisonment, finding him guilty of using violence against a riot police officer endangering the latter's health (Part 2 Section 318 of the Russian Criminal Code). The investigators and the court found that during the detention Ustinov offered active resistance to an officer of the Federal National Guard Troops Service, dislocating his shoulder. Ustinov pled not guilty, saying that he did not harm the riot police officer and found himself on the site of the August 3 unauthorized rally by chance: he had a business meeting that day.

Ustinov’s case caused public outcry. Art directors of Moscow’s theaters and actors voiced their support for him.