Kaunas court delays verdict in Laisvės Avenue brawl case until July

The Kaunas Regional Court has postponed its ruling in the high-profile Laisvės Avenue brawl case, announcing it will deliver the verdict on July 15, LRT reports, citing a court secretary. The decision was originally expected this Thursday.

The case stems from an August 2023 attack in a Kaunas restaurant’s outdoor seating area, where eight masked assailants assaulted four men and a woman sitting at a table. The woman later testified in court.

In November 2024, the Kaunas District Court convicted all eight defendants of causing minor bodily harm with hooligan motives and disturbing public order. The court issued suspended sentences or deemed time already served in pretrial detention as sufficient punishment.

The harshest penalties—one-year suspended sentences—were given to Lukas Ščerbinskas and Vitalij Zakrževskij, who were also ordered to participate in behavioral correction programs, remain at their place of residence, and maintain employment. Rokas Sipavičius and Juozas Minkevičius received six-month terms, Tadas Mučinskas five months, while Karolis Kavaliauskas, Edgar Rezajev, and Gyčys Kukliauskas were each sentenced to four months in prison, with time served counted toward their terms.

Both the prosecution and four of the defendants have appealed. The convicted individuals seek acquittal or reduced sentences, while prosecutors demand stricter real-term imprisonment. The first-instance court had dismissed victim testimony as unreliable, a decision now under review by the appellate court.