- Title: RUSSIA: Bolshoi dancer Pavel Dmitrichenko does not admit guilt, his lawyer says
- Date: 29th October 2013
- Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (OCTOBER 29, 2013) (REUTERS) PEOPLE OUTSIDE MESCHANSKY COURT BUILDING SIGN "EXIT" BOLSHOI FORMER DANCER PAVEL DMITRICHENKO'S LAWYER SERGEI KADYROV TALKING TO MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) BOLSHOI DANCER PAVEL DMITRICHENKO'S LAWYER SERGEI KADYROV, SAYING: "As far as I understand there is no proof of my client's guilt in any of the documents presented as evidence by the prosecution." JOURNALISTS LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) BOLSHOI DANCER PAVEL DMITRICHENKO'S LAWYER SERGEI KADYROV, SAYING: "Yes, Zarutsky admitted his guilt, Lipatov didn't admit and Dmitrichenko did not admit he is guilty in the crime he is accused of." KADYROV TALKING TO MEDIA WINDOWS OF COURT BUILDING TRAFFIC ON STREET
- Embargoed: 13th November 2013 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Russian Federation
- City:
- Country: Russia
- Topics: Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA5OGQT7KSTJ2ZCZS3DBAEL5HJF
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- Story Text: Bolshoi dancer Pavel Dmitrichenko on Tuesday (October 29) said he was not guilty at a trial in which he is accused of organising an acid attack on the artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet, his lawyer Sergei Kadyrov said.
"As far as I understand there is no proof of my client's guilt in any of the documents presented as evidence by the prosecution," Kadyrov said to a crowd of journalists outside Moscow's Meschansky court.
Dmitrichenko, Yuri Zarutsky, the alleged attacker, and Andrei Lipatov who is accused of driving the assailant to and from the scene, face up to 12 years in prison if they are convicted of intentionally causing grievous bodily harm in the attack on Sergei Filin on January 17.
According to Dmitrichenko's lawyer, however, neither Dmitrichenko nor Lipatov are admitting their guilt.
"Yes, Zarutsky admitted his guilt, Lipatov didn't admit and Dmitrichenko did not admit he is guilty in the crime he is accused of," Kadyrov added, mentioning two alleged accomplices.
Filin, whose position gave him power to make or break careers, was returning home when a masked assailant called his name and threw acid in his face from a jar, leaving him writhing in the snow and calling for help.
Born into a family of dancers, Dmitrichenko played roles including a murderous Russian monarch in Ivan the Terrible and a villain in Swan Lake.
The scandal over the attack has damaged the theatre's reputation and that of its management and stars.
The Russian government dismissed the Bolshoi's longtime head Anatoly Iksanov in July, and earlier this year the theatre declined to renew the contract of Nikolai Tsiskaridze, a top dancer who feuded with Filin and Iksanov.
After months of treatment in Germany, Filin, 42, was back at the Bolshoi last month at the ceremonial opening of its 238th season, with dark glasses shielding his damaged eyes.
The trial is set to resume on October 31. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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