The Vilnius Regional Court has sentenced a Belarusian citizen to prison time for attempting to destroy property in a dangerous way and to escape from custody, the Prosecutor General’s Office said on Wednesday.
The Belarusian man was handed a prison sentence of eight months and 15 days.
The court issued the ruling after partially upholding an appeal from the Vilnius District Prosecutor’s Office.
According to the case file, on the night of April 20, 2023, the man approached the Belarusian embassy in Vilnius and threw a homemade candle filled with flammable liquid onto the embassy grounds. A fire broke out, but it burned out on its own.
The Belarusian citizen, identified as M. B., born in 1990, was detained and later placed in custody. While in custody, the man tried to escape by using violence against the prison officers guarding him.
Last January, the Vilnius City District Court found him guilty of attempting to destroy property in a generally dangerous manner and sentenced him to 11 months’ restriction of liberty.
After reviewing the criminal case on appeal, the Vilnius Regional Court partially upheld the prosecutor’s appeal, finding the Belarusian citizen guilty of attempting to escape from custody.
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