Court overturns acquittal of former police officer who desecrated Vytis

Vilnius Regional Court on Thursday overturned a lower court’s acquittal of former police officer Raimondas Ščerbininas, who was accused of desecrating Lithuania’s state symbol, the coat of arms Vytis, LRT reports.

The court upheld an appeal by prosecutor Remigijus Matevičius and issued a new guilty verdict. Ščerbininas was found guilty and fined 87 minimum monthly wages (€4,350). After accounting for one day of detention, the fine was reduced to €4,050.

A district court in the Vilnius region had previously acquitted Ščerbininas, born in 1991, who was charged with urinating on the Vytis emblem sewn onto his police uniform, filming the act, and posting the video online. Ščerbininas claimed in court that he had not urinated but performed an act with water and vitamin C, intending to criticise police work rather than desecrate the state emblem.

Nijolė Žimkienė, chair of the judicial panel at Vilnius Regional Court, stated that the video clearly showed urination on the Vytis, the cross, and the word “Policija” (Police). The panel determined that Ščerbininas, who was dismissed from police service, sought revenge after losing his job. “The intent to mock the police does not negate the intent to desecrate the coat of arms,” Žimkienė said.

Ščerbininas was dismissed from police service in 2023 for discrediting an officer’s name through systematic disrespectful and demeaning communication with young women. After his dismissal, he failed to return part of his issued uniform as required.

The Vilnius Regional Court’s ruling took effect immediately.