The head of the Rivne regional prosecutor's office proved the guilt of a man who raped a 13-year-old girl in 2023. For the corruption and harassment of the minor victim, as well as the intentional possession of child pornography, he was sentenced to the harshest punishment – life imprisonment.

It was established that initially, the convicted man and the victim communicated via messenger. The man sent the girl sexually explicit text messages and also exposed his genitals during video calls. Later, the man came to Rivne and invited the girl to meet. In a rented apartment, he raped her. 

When the child did not return home in the evening, her parents contacted law enforcement, who detained the perpetrator in the apartment with the minor. 

During the investigation, files containing child pornography were found on the man's phone. He was notified of suspicion under part 6 of Article 152, part 2 of Article 156, part 3 of Article 156-1, and part 1 of Article 301-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

“I insisted on the imposition of the highest measure of punishment, as crimes against the sexual freedom and inviolability of minors are among the most serious and repugnant. Only life imprisonment can truly protect both the already traumatized child and other potential victims. Such sentences should serve as an unequivocal signal to society: anyone who encroaches on the most valuable – childhood and the safety of children – risks spending the rest of their life behind bars,” said the head of the Rivne regional prosecutor's office, Andriy Maksymchuk.