Priest accused of possessing child pornography to testify

Priest Ryšardas Peciunas, who is temporarily suspended from his duties and accused of possessing pornographic material depicting a child, is due to testify on Wednesday at Vilnius City District Court, LRT reported.

The hearing will be closed to the public, court representative Giedrius Janonis told ELTA.

At the first hearing in September, Peciunas said he was ready to testify, but the opportunity did not arise. Prosecutor Šarūnas Šimonis read the indictment, and the examination of evidence began.

Peciunas, who worked in the Vilnius Archdiocese, says the 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 has said the investigation has not changed his relationship with the family mentioned in the case.

Barbara Leščevska is also charged in the case. Both defendants face charges under Article 309, paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code, which covers producing, acquiring, possessing, showing, promoting, offering or distributing pornographic material depicting a child or a person presented as a child, as well as obtaining or providing access to such material. The article provides for a fine, restriction of liberty, arrest or imprisonment for up to four years.

The Vilnius Archdiocese says Peciunas was born in 1974 and ordained in 1999. In 2021, he was appointed parish priest of the Sacred Heart of Jesus parish in Rūdiškės and the St John the Baptist parish in Paluknys.