Court hands former marathon runner Loskutov suspended term for physical abuse

Pavel Loskutov. Photo: Artur Sadovski

The Tartu County Court has found Estonia's former top marathon runner Pavel Loskutov guilty of physically abusing another person and handed him a conditional sentence of six months in prison.

The court decided not to enforce the sentence unless Loskutov commits a new offense within the 12-month probation period.

The court ordered the Republic of Estonia to pay Loskutov 400 euros for non-material damage caused by the unlawful use of handcuffs in the criminal proceedings.

Loskutov meanwhile has to pay the costs of the proceedings in the amount of 2,823.01 euros.

Loskutov was accused of punching a 64-year-old man he knew with his fist in the face and neck. According to the indictment, during the events that took place in the border city of Valga, the victim's wife asked Loskutov to stop, but the accused continued to attack the victim and repeatedly punched the man in the face and head.

«In the opinion of the prosecutor's office, this was a serious crime -- this is because Loskutov did not hit the victim once, but repeatedly, which caused pain and damage to the victim's health. Violence in a public place certainly compromises the community's sense of security. Therefore, according to the prosecutor's office, the accused must be given a message that his act was serious,» District Prosecutor Ainar Koik said.