Prosecutor seeks 14-year prison sentence for Filipavičius over sexual and other crimes

A prosecutor has requested a 14-year prison sentence for Gediminas Filipavičius, who stands accused of sexual crimes against two women and other offences, state broadcaster LRT reports.

State prosecutor Mindaugas Sabaitis presented the demand in his closing statement on Friday during the closed trial at Kaunas Regional Court. The court is expected to deliver its verdict on April 24 after hearing final statements from all parties.

“In my conviction, the evidence examined during the trial fully confirms the qualification of the criminal acts, and I ask the honourable court to find the defendant guilty and impose a final sentence of 14 years’ imprisonment,” Sabaitis told journalists.

The proposed sentence accounts for the circumstances of the crimes, aggravating factors, the absence of significant mitigating circumstances, and the defendant’s character, the prosecutor said. He added that Filipavičius had admitted certain factual details but disputed some elements of the charges, which Sabaitis argued did not constitute grounds for leniency.

Filipavičius faces 13 criminal charges, including abduction, sexual coercion, rape, unlawful deprivation of liberty, minor bodily harm, and illegal handling of narcotic substances. According to the indictment, he kidnapped two women in 2023 in Kaunas and Kaišiadorys district, holding them in garages across Kaunas while allegedly committing illegal acts against them, some of which were recorded.

The two victims, both born in 1993 and citizens of Lithuania and Ukraine, have filed civil claims for €15,000 and €25,000 in non-pecuniary damages. Sabaitis stated the claims were justified and aligned with judicial practice, adding that pretrial investigations found no evidence of additional victims.

In a separate case last October, Kaunas Regional Court sentenced Filipavičius to 20 years in prison for the 2015 abduction of a nine-year-old girl and other crimes. That ruling is final, and he is currently serving the sentence. Any new penalty would be merged with the existing term, though Sabaitis declined to speculate on the outcome, citing judicial independence.

Defence lawyers declined to comment on the requested sentence, citing confidentiality agreements with their clients. “The lawyer’s position aligns with that of the victim. We agreed not to disclose [details], and I respect the victim’s position,” said attorney Angelė Fominienė. Another victim’s lawyer described the case as involving deeply personal trauma but offered no further comment.