Prosecutor’s office: Kharkiv physical education teacher who raped boys faces life in prison
3 March 15:32
Prosecutors have sent to court an indictment against a 56-year-old former physical education teacher from Kharkiv who raped and molested schoolchildren.
This was reported by the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
According to the investigation, in 2018-2021, the man worked as a physical education teacher in various educational institutions in Kharkiv. During this period, he raped and molested schoolchildren – the victims were four boys aged 11-13.
He later quit and moved away. Law enforcement officers found him in September 2024 in the Pochayiv Lavra.
Serhiy Bolvinov, head of the Investigation Department of the National Police in the Kharkiv region, said that the former teacher was exposed and detained only because one of the affected boys spoke about the abuse.
The Ukrainian police received the case file from the Prosecutor General’s Office of Latvia. The boy who was one of the victims of the accused is now in Latvia. For many years he was afraid to talk about it. Now the boy is 17 years old and has been working with a psychologist.
“We found out that there were actually many more victims, and after the information about this case was made public, more episodes were added. We were approached by adult men who had gone to a football club as children and had vacationed in a children’s health center near Kharkiv. It turned out that at different times, at each of his places of work as a coach or teacher, the suspect forced children to have sexual intercourse,” Bolvinov said.
The man is accused under Parts 4, 6 of Article 152, Parts 1, 2 of Article 156 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – rape of minors committed repeatedly and corruption of minors. Under these articles, he faces life imprisonment.
The accused is currently awaiting sentencing in custody. He will be tried in the Dzerzhinsky District Court of Kharkiv.
Bolvinov urged parents to talk to their children and “always be aware” of where and how their children are in contact with other adults.
“Children are afraid and embarrassed to talk about this, it’s a trauma that the family may not even know about. If the trouble has already happened, don’t waste time and go to the police immediately. This is not a case when you should be ashamed. And we have a lot of experience in such cases. Our employees are also parents. Investigators and forensic experts are able to investigate such cases professionally and communicate with applicants competently and sensitively. We guarantee anonymity, if necessary. But it is impossible to stop and punish a pedophile when his victims are silent,” Bolvinov wrote.
