Lithuanian court to rule on appeal in child exploitation case involving 25 girls

The Kaunas Regional Court will deliver its verdict Tuesday in the appeal of Algimantas Ulvidas, convicted of sexually exploiting underage girls and possessing child pornography, LRT reports.

Ulvidas, previously convicted of sex crimes, was sentenced in July 2025 to six years and nine months in prison by the Kaunas District Court for luring at least 25 girls under 16 into a forest in Karmėlava, where he exposed himself to them on multiple occasions between 2016 and 2018. He has appealed the ruling, demanding acquittal.

Investigators found child pornography on Ulvidas’s computer depicting minors or individuals presented as minors. Court records identify 26 girls as victims in the case.

Last week, Lithuania’s Supreme Court upheld a separate, earlier conviction against Ulvidas—two years and five months in prison—for exploiting 11 other underage girls. The high court removed an aggravating circumstance tied to his status as a repeat offender but left the rest of the sentence unchanged.

Ulvidas, currently serving his sentence, has claimed in appeals that his actions lacked criminal intent, citing a diagnosed psychological disorder—exhibitionist tendencies. In interviews from prison, he described his behavior as part of a “game” the girls allegedly consented to, calling himself a “fool” but insisting his condition justified his actions.

“Normal people don’t let themselves be mocked. I put myself in the fool’s position, but it suits me because I have a health disorder,” Ulvidas told BNS in April. He added that he had undergone three rounds of inpatient treatment, which he said helped him control his impulses, and suggested court-ordered therapy could prevent reoffending.

Ulvidas has multiple prior convictions for exploiting minors under 16 and possessing pornography.