A 56-year-old man in Shymkent has been sentenced to seven years and six months in prison in the case of molesting an eight-year-old girl. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
He had previously been fined 216,000 tenge. The first verdict sparked public outcry.
Circumstances of the case
According to the TV channel, the man attacked the girl in a stairwell: he touched and kissed her, and also tried to take her to his home. The child managed to escape.
Review and new verdict
After the case was reviewed, the man was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison.
"Three million tenge in moral damages was awarded in favor of the victim. The court's verdict has not entered into legal force," the press service of the Shymkent court said.
Public outcry
The first verdict caused a wide public outcry. The case was reviewed, and the punishment was changed to a more severe one — imprisonment.
It should be noted that the issue of toughening penalties for sexual crimes against minors has been raised repeatedly in Kazakhstan. However, in this particular case, the court verdict has not yet entered into legal force, so the parties retain the right to appeal.
According to the verdict, the man will serve 7 years and 6 months in prison. This is a significantly harsher punishment than the initial fine.