Lithuanian court upholds 7-year prison sentence for ex-MP Kristijonas Bartoševičius in child sexual abuse case

Lithuania’s Court of Appeal on Thursday upheld a seven-year prison sentence for former parliament member Kristijonas Bartoševičius for sexually abusing minors, rejecting his appeal and increasing compensation for victims, LRT.lt reports.

The court dismissed Bartoševičius’s challenge to his conviction and maintained the lower court’s ruling, issued by Panevėžys Regional Court, which found him guilty of sexual coercion of a minor, sexual abuse of a minor, corruption of a person under 16, and causing minor harm to victims’ health. Prosecutors had sought a harsher penalty of 10 years, but the appellate court left the original term unchanged.

In addition to imprisonment, Bartoševičius will be barred for the duration of his sentence—and for five years afterward—from any professional activity involving minors. The court also raised the compensation awarded to two victims: one will receive €5,700 (up from €3,000 previously), and the other €3,400 (increased from €2,000).

The appellate panel affirmed that Bartoševičius’s guilt had been “proven beyond doubt” and that the initial verdict was lawful. While noting his lack of prior convictions and otherwise “exclusively positive” character references, the court stressed that his crimes—committed repeatedly against multiple children, with one victim abused over a two-year period—demonstrated a “dangerous pattern” of predatory behavior.

Bartoševičius, a former member of the Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats faction, resigned from parliament in January 2023 after prosecutors launched an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse linked to his role as director of the boys’ and youth choir Ąžuoliukas (2012–2020) and as a teacher at Kaunas Veršvų Gymnasium (2018–2019). The case centered on accusations involving choir members under his supervision. A pretrial probe concluded in July 2023, leading to his conviction last year.