Priest tells court he expects acquittal in child pornography case

Priest Ryšardas Peciunas, accused of possessing pornographic material depicting a child, said he expects to be acquitted. LRT reported that he made the comments on Friday after testifying at Vilnius City District Court.

Peciunas said investigators had spent two years examining a few files, even though the investigation period was six months. He said he may turn to higher courts if he is not acquitted.

He told reporters he had not saved any pornographic images on his computer. Peciunas said files sent to him could end up in virtual storage, including WhatsApp’s media storage, over which he said he did not control every process.

Peciunas is temporarily suspended from his duties. He has said that videos found by law enforcement were sent to him by the parents of minors with whom he has had a close relationship for decades. He also said his relationship with the family mentioned in the case had not changed since the pre-trial investigation began.

Peciunas and Barbara Leščevska are charged under Article 309(2) of the Criminal Code. The next hearing is planned for Tuesday, and the case is being heard behind closed doors. The article carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison for acquiring, possessing, showing, advertising, offering or distributing pornographic material depicting a child or a person presented as a child, among other offences.