- Title: Russia tries U.S. student for police assault as father questions evidence
- Date: 11th March 2020
- Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (MARCH 11, 2020) (REUTERS) COURT BAILIFF ESCORTING U.S. CITIZEN, EX-MARINE TREVOR REED TO COURT HEARING JOURNALISTS ENTERING COURTROOM VARIOUS OF REED INSIDE DEFENDANTS' CAGE DEFENDANTS' CAGE LOCKED WITH HANDCUFFS (SOUNDBITE) (English) TREVOR REED'S GIRLFRIEND, ALINA TSYBULNIK, SAYING: "His face was blue and white, he felt bad, so I believe he was intoxicated by vodka. When we were driving home, we stopped because he was throwing up. We called an ambulance first but they did not come. It is normal, he is just drunk and in Russia, I believe, it is normal. They did not come. They even said - what can we do?" VARIOUS OF REED INSIDE DEFENDANTS' CAGE REED'S FATHER (THIRD FROM LEFT) SITTING IN COURTROOM (SOUNDBITE) (English) TREVOR REED'S GIRLFRIEND, ALINA TSYBULNIK, SAYING: "Because at this party we had (we were) with those ex-judges, ex-prosecutors, ex-investigators. We called the professional people and asked what we can do in that situation? They said - call the police. That's normal because we (in Russia) have a law: if we call the police, police are coming and it is a drunk person there, they have to put them in a hospital, to drive him to a hospital. And after that, after he is not drunk anymore, they can question him." VARIOUS OF REED INSIDE DEFENDANTS' CAGE REED BLOWING A KISS TOWARDS CAMERA (SOUNDBITE) (English) TREVOR REED'S GIRLFRIEND, ALINA TSYBULNIK, SAYING: "And at first they actually helped. Because they took him and we said - he is drunk, but he is a foreigner, he is fine, can we just go to a hospital? We understand that you are not a taxi, you can't just take us home. But can you take him to, maybe, the police station? Just till morning? And in (the) morning I will take him (home)." VARIOUS OF COURT BAILIFF ESCORTING REED AFTER HEARING REED'S FATHER LEAVING COURT BUILDING REED'S FATHER WALKING BY CAMERA (SOUNDBITE) (English) TREVOR REED'S FATHER, JOEY REED, SAYING: "We'd like for everyone to hear the facts of the case because we think as more and more facts are released and just the facts of the case, the people will see that there's something not right about the case as a whole. And I realised this is a completely different culture, completely different judicial system, but... I would guess there are 30 or 40 things where in other countries the case would have been dismissed already." JOEY REED TALKING TO REUTERS REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) TREVOR REED'S FATHER, JOEY REED, SAYING: "There are many irregularities in the case. For instance, they are not allowing the video, which... We are almost positive there was a video, there were videos in the police station, and yet the defence was not allowed to have them. That, right here... You know, in the United States the case is over." JOEY REED HOLDING NOTES / CLOSE UP OF JOEY REED'S HANDS (SOUNDBITE) (English) TREVOR REED'S FATHER, JOEY REED, SAYING: "Dismissing charges in Russia, from my understanding, is very rare. But at least - lower the charges, so it is a lower penalty. I'll just say this: from the time I've got here I was told by people - people that are investigators within the system - that even if my son did what he is accused of, because he does not remember what happened, but even if he was, it would be a level one offence, not a level two offence." VARIOUS OF COURT BUILDING RUSSIAN AND MOSCOW FLAGS ON COURT BUILDING
- Embargoed: 25th March 2020 17:41
- Keywords: Alina Tsybulnik Russia Trevor Reed U.S. marine assaulting police officers court hearing
- Location: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
- City: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
- Country: Russia
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions
- Reuters ID: LVA001C4LYSZR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Russia put a U.S. student on trial on Wednesday (March 11) for allegedly drunkenly assaulting two police officers as his father said state investigators had failed to secure basic evidence that could potentially prove his son's innocence.
Trevor Reed, 28, a student at the University of North Texas and a former U.S. Marine, was taken into custody in Moscow last August for allegedly endangering the lives of two police officers who had detained him.
Reed, who could face up to 10 years in jail if found guilty, is accused of grabbing an officer who was behind the wheel, causing the vehicle to swerve dangerously, and of elbowing a second officer.
Reed appeared downcast at the hearing and made a heart sign with his hands to his parents and sister who were watching proceedings. He told the court he was currently not ready to either plead guilty or innocent to the charges.
The police officers testified at the trial, saying Reed's actions had caused the car to swerve dangerously and that they had been scared for their lives.
Reed has no recollection of what happened after he drank vodka at an Aug. 15 party, which he attended with his Russian girlfriend, Alina Tsybulnik. He grew agitated after attending the party, prompting a colleague of his girlfriend to call the police, Tsybulnik said.
She said she had followed the car after his detention and saw no sign of it swerving dangerously. Reed's father, Joey, said traffic footage obtained by the defense showed the car did not swerve.
He said the defense had immediately asked investigators to obtain surveillance footage from inside the police vehicle as well as outside and inside the police station, but that investigators had failed to do so before it was later wiped.
"There are many irregularities in the case... Any of those things could have been answered if we had the video," he said.
Tsybulnik said Reed had sustained bruising to his nose and two parts of his legs the night of his arrest, but was told by prosecutors when he complained that the injuries had nothing to do with law enforcement authorities.
Reed travelled to Moscow last May to spend the summer with his girlfriend and learn Russian.
(Production: Alexey Novik, Tatiana Gomozova) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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