Prienai man jailed for robbery, extortion and document theft

A court sentenced a Prienai resident to two years and eight months in prison for robbery, extortion and stealing a personal document, LRT reported Friday.

The Alytus District Court found that the man attacked a victim at a children’s playground in Prienai in March. He sprayed tear gas in the victim’s face, punched him in the face and stomach, then took a personal document and phone from his wallet.

The man used the phone to apply for a 1,000-euro loan. When the application failed, he threatened the victim with physical violence and demanded a 50-euro bank transfer. The frightened victim sent the money.

The following day, the man used similar threats to extort 30 euros from another victim near a café. Several days later, he went to the first victim’s home and demanded that he take out a loan. The victim applied for one and transferred the money to the man, fearing further violence.

The court found the man guilty of robbery, document theft and two counts of extortion. It also ordered him to pay the victim about 1,000 euros in material damages and 1,300 euros in non-material damages.

The ruling may be appealed to the Kaunas Regional Court within 20 days.