Court postpones case against man accused of injuring coach Songaila

A Šiauliai court has postponed for a third time the case against a man accused of attacking and injuring basketball coach Darius Songaila, LRT reported. Police could not bring Artūras Bernotas to court because they did not find him at his registered home, but he joined the hearing remotely.

Bernotas interrupted the judge, addressed him informally and made dismissive remarks during the hearing. He said he had not arranged a lawyer because he did not know how to do so, and told the court to find evidence of his illnesses through the national e-health system. He had not submitted medical certificates to support his claims.

Prosecutor Daiva Kaučikienė and Songaila’s lawyer, Ramūnas Dobrovolskis, asked the judge to order Bernotas’s arrest, saying it would ensure his attendance and that the proceedings were being delayed. Dobrovolskis also said remote participation was not working well because the connection kept breaking up.

Judge Aleksandras Prygunkovas rejected the request for the strictest preventive measure but warned Bernotas that he must attend the next hearing, scheduled for the afternoon of December 2. The court will invite a lawyer it has found to represent him. Bernotas may have to pay for the legal services.

Songaila was injured on the evening of May 19 in central Šiauliai, on A. J. Greimo Street. The coach of the Šiauliai men’s basketball team was walking a small family dog near the Saulės miestas shopping centre when a large, aggressive dog without a muzzle appeared. Songaila picked up his dog, then pushed the other animal away with his foot. Its owner allegedly ran over and struck Songaila with a heavy leash, cutting his head.