Four sons of wealthy Russian families who came to Britain to study instead face prison after being found guilty of a gang rape that they filmed on a cell phone.
The defendants, convicted by a jury Monday, were identified as Oleg Ivanov, 23, Norayr Davtyan, 22, Armen Simonyan, 19, and Gregory Melnikov, 23, The Evening Standard
The Sun tabloid
The victim, an 18-year-old Malaysian woman headed for the same college, said in the courtroom that she believes she was drugged at a party thrown by the suspects in January.
She lost consciousness and could not offer resistance when she came to her senses during the 2 1/2-hour assault, she said.
The four defendants pleaded not guilty, claiming the woman had consented to sex. One of them testified against her during the trial with a string of expletives, at one point calling her a "machine for [expletive]."
But the cell phone video showed that one suspect noted the woman was crying and expressed pity for her, The Evening Standard said.
The four men used threats to try to intimidate the victim into silence after the incident, but she complained to police, who confiscated an iPhone with the recording as well as a video of the defendants boasting of their plans the night before the incident.
The four defendants were given between eight and 10 years in prison, the Daily Mail reported. It was unclear whether they could be extradited to Russia, judicial news agency Rapsi said.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.