Appeals court orders Meelis Eskola to serve rape sentence

ERR reports that Tallinn Court of Appeal has ordered Meelis Eskola, also known as DJ Cityflash, to serve his three-year prison sentence for rape. The court overturned the part of an earlier ruling that had suspended the sentence for a four-year probation period.

The court rejected defence arguments that the offence was a one-time act or had not been planned, saying these were not exceptional circumstances that justified a suspended sentence. It cited the seriousness of the crime, including the use of violence and the exploitation of the victim’s inability to resist, and found no grounds for more lenient treatment.

In April 2025, Pärnu County Court found Eskola guilty and sentenced him to three years in prison, suspended for four years. It also ordered him to pay the victim 7,000 euros in compensation for non-pecuniary damage.

The Supreme Court upheld Eskola’s conviction and the compensation ruling in May 2026, but sent the question of whether he should serve the sentence to the appeals court for reconsideration. The appeals court heard the matter following a prosecutor’s appeal.

The charge concerned an incident on May 7, 2022, at a party centre in Paide. According to the accusation, Eskola had intercourse with a young mother against her will, used violence and took advantage of her intoxication and physical weakness. The victim sustained bruises and abrasions, the source reported.

The Supreme Court had overturned earlier acquittals in November 2024, finding that the lower courts had favoured Eskola’s account over the victim’s without adequately explaining their reasoning. The latest ruling can be appealed to the Supreme Court within 30 days.