Court overturns acquittal of former police officer who desecrated Vytis

The Vilnius Regional Court on Thursday overturned a lower court’s acquittal of former police officer Raimondas Ščerbininas, who was accused of desecrating Lithuania’s state symbol, the coat of arms Vytis, LRT reports.

The court upheld an appeal by prosecutor Remigijus Matevičius and issued a new guilty verdict. Ščerbininas was found guilty and fined 87 minimum monthly wages (€4,350). After accounting for one day of detention, the fine was reduced to €4,050.

The Vilnius District Court had previously acquitted Ščerbininas, born in 1991, who was charged with urinating on the Vytis emblem sewn onto his police uniform, filming the act, and posting the video online.

Ščerbininas had argued in court that he was not urinating but performing an act with water and vitamin C, claiming his actions were meant to criticise police work rather than desecrate the state emblem. However, the Vilnius Regional Court found that his intent to mock the police did not negate the intent to desecrate the coat of arms.

Presiding judge Nijolė Žimkienė stated that the court determined Ščerbininas, who was dismissed from police service, sought revenge after losing his job. The court also noted that Ščerbininas had failed to return part of his issued uniform to the Police Department as required.

Ščerbininas was dismissed from the police in 2023 for discrediting the officer’s name through systematic disrespectful and demeaning communication with young women. The Vilnius Regional Court’s ruling took immediate effect.