HORRIFIC crime: Elderly man, imprisoned for throwing firecracker, raped, forced to drink urine, tortured

Photo: Milena Djordjevic

On February 4, the public prosecutor from the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade was informed about the death of 74-year-old S.B. in the Padinska Skela prison on the outskirts of Belgrade, after which he ordered an autopsy and toxicology tests, in order to determine the cause of death.

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After receiving the autopsy report on March 8, which showed that S.B. died a violent death, the prosecutor ordered the arrest of three suspects, who had previously shared a cell with the victim, on suspicion that they conspired to commit the crime of aggravated murder.

Suspects Srecko S. (20), Sasa S. (21) and Dalibor P. (21) were interrogated at the prosecutor's office on March 14, when Srecko S. decided to remain silent, while the other two made statements in their defense.

The judge for preliminary proceedings from the Higher Court in Belgrade ordered the suspects to be detained in order to prevent them from repeating the crime in a short period of time.

According to the investigation order, the suspects jointly committed a criminal offense in the Padinska Skela prison, where the victim was tortured from mid-January until February 4, when he passed away.

It is suspected that the attackers, in the cell they shared, physically and sexually abused S.B. every day. This started happening  after he ran out of money to buy grocerie in the prison canteen, which he had been giving to the suspects.

They slapped him, beat him with their feet and hands on the head and body, and on one occasion Dalibor P. is suspected of hitting the victim in the ribs with his knee, while on another occasion he sexually abused him with a broom handle.

Suspect Sasa S. allegedly forced the victim to drink his urine from a coffee cup, while Srecko S. "pulled the victim's tongue out of his mouth with a towel in order to prevent him from complaining to (prison) guards about the abuse and humiliation he was suffering."

On February 3, S.B. underwent medical examination due to his injuries, but was terrified and did not report his torturers to the prison authorities, so he was back in the cell and that same evening the suspects took him to the bathroom where they poured cold water on him.

The next day, S.B.'s health significantly deteriorated, and as a result of the injuries he sustained - the loss of a large amount of blood, breathing and circulation disorders caused by bilateral rib and sternum fractures, and ensuing complications - S.B. died.

The investigation is in the phase of questioning witnesses and collecting evidence.

All the suspects were in originally imprisoned for misdemeanors offenses.

The victim was in Padinska Skela for throwing a firecracker during a New Year celebration.

A neighbor revealed today that another of their neighbors in the Belgrade municipality of Mladenovac reported the unfortunate man to the police for this on December 31, 2020, saying the firecracker "scared his baby."

S.B. was eventaully unable to pay a fine equivalent to some 250 euros, and was instead sentenced to 30 days in prison, where he endured horrendous abuse that eventually killed him.

Prison Administration reacts

The Administration for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions initiated disciplinary proceedings against seven officials in the Correctional Institution in Belgrade (Padinska Skela) due to suspicion that they committed a serious violation of their work duties according to the Law on Civil Servants.

These officials did not inform their superiors about the extraordinary event in which four persons convicted of misdemeanors were suspected of causing injuries to B.C., who died on February 4 of this year.

"The Administration for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions points out that it will not tolerate the behavior of those employees who bypass clearly prescribed procedures when performing their duties and they will therefore be severely sanctioned," said the Administration.

Telegraf.rs has learned that the director of this institution, Vladimir Bukvic, who had been doing this job since 2018, has been transferred to a lower grade position, while another official was quickly appointed in his place, and the Administration reacted by initiating disciplinary proceedings.

(Telegraf.rs)