RUSSIAN PRIEST GROZOVSKY BEGINS 14 YEAR SOJOURN IN JAIL FOR SEXUALLY ABUSING UNDERAGE PUPILS

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia –  A Russian priest , Gleb Grozovsky has started serving his 14 year jail term for sexually abusing an underage pupils of orthodox recreation camps, the Russian information agency, RAPSI has reported. The jail term became effective following the dismissal of an appeal filed by the priest against his sentence. He had asked the court to declare a lower court’s ruling illegal and groundless.

Grozovsky was found guilty on all charges in January. In addition to the prison term, he was ordered to pay each victim 400,000 rubles (about $7,000) in compensation for moral damages.

Grozovsky committed several sexual crimes against minors in 2009 and 2013. In April 2014, he was put on the international wanted list.

Israeli police arrested the priest in September 2014. In January 2015, a court in Jerusalem ruled that the priest should be extradited to Russia pursuant to the European Convention on Extradition. The ruling was appealed but rejected.

In April 2016, the Justice Minister signed an order on Grozovsky’s extradition.

In September 2016, the priest was extradited from Israel to Russia.