Lithuanian businessman sentenced to over a year in prison for repeated domestic violence

A Vilnius court on Tuesday sentenced businessman Artūras Daikeris to one year and two months in prison for repeatedly assaulting his wife, public broadcaster LRT reports.

Daikeris, who did not attend the hearing, was found guilty of causing physical pain and minor harm to his wife’s health. According to case materials, he assaulted her four times—hitting her in the face, pushing her, pinching her, and biting her finger—between March and July of last year and again in January. During the attacks, his blood alcohol level exceeded 2.0‰, reaching 3.01‰ in one instance. The victim was also intoxicated during some of the incidents.

Prosecutor Renaldas Budrys had requested the same sentence. Daikeris, previously convicted four times for drunk driving with blood alcohol levels above 1.5‰, was recognised as a repeat offender in a separate 2023 ruling, receiving a six-month suspended sentence and the confiscation of his Audi Q8 vehicle. An appeals court later postponed the imprisonment by one and a half years and ordered the forfeiture of €102,800, equivalent to the car’s value.

A new pre-trial investigation into another alleged assault by Daikeris was launched in April. Prosecutors sought his detention, but courts at two instances ruled to keep him free pending trial.