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Kidnappers Say They Didn't Harm a Hair on Kaspersky's Head

The kidnappers of Yevgeny Kaspersky's son Ivan complained that their sentences were excessively harsh and that they "didn't harm a hair" on his head, a news report said Tuesday.

Semyon Gromov, Oleg Mayukov, Nikolai Savelyev and his son Nikolai were sentenced to prison terms ranging from seven to 11 years for kidnapping Ivan Kaspersky in April 2011 and issuing a ransom of 3 million euros, Gazeta.ru said.

Prior to the sentencing Gromov said, "Why are you asking for 11 years [imprisonment] for me? Because I fed and took care of him for four days? I didn't harm a single hair on his head."

"We were given prison terms as if we had committed a murder, although he didn't lose a single hair. I had nothing to do with it. It is mockery of justice," Savelyev junior was reported to have said as the bailiffs walked him out of the courtroom.

Savelyev junior and Gromov denied their involvement in the crime, while the two other defendants admitted partial guilt.

In the course of the trial the defense said the kidnapping was organized by Alexei Ustimchuk, the captain of the Federal Guard Service, who was sentenced to 4.5 years imprisonment last August after agreeing a plea bargain with prosecutors.

However, the court found that the Savelyevs had organized the kidnapping.

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