14 November 2008, 15:29, Source: Beta
Belgrade – The Special Court sentenced a nine-member criminal group to the imprisonment for a total of 24 years for human trafficking and forcing M.T. into practicing prostitution in Italy
The three-member Panel chaired by the Judge Milimir Lukić sentenced Dejan Stošić, the organizer of the so-called „Pančevo Group“, to 5-year imprisonment. Stošić was tried in absentia, because he has been arrested in Italy for other criminal offences.
Dimče Kimov is sentenced to 4-year imprisonment, while Dušan Šaponjić, Miodrag Nakomčić, Miodrag Milenković, Tiosav Vasiljević and Marinko Zemunović are sentenced to the imprisonment for 3 years each.
Vladimir Lukić is sentenced to 4 months in prison, suspended for two years. Lukić and Saša Stojković are acquitted from charges of trying to influence the victim, M.T. to change her statement in court.
The Court also ordered the confiscation of property gained through the commission of the offence, i.e. Stošić is ordered to pay out EUR 5,000 and Zemunović EUR 500.
The Special Court has rendered the second judgment to this group today, since in November 2006, the Supreme Court of Serbia canceled the first-instance judgment rendered in December 2005, according to which Stošić was sentenced to 5-year imprisonment.
Judge Lukić said in the reasoning of the judgment that the group’s motive was to acquire gain, that the accused were aware of the offence and that they abused difficult family situation of the victim.
He also said that in the summer of 2003, the accused recruited the victim by abusing her difficult family situation and promising her easy life in Italy and monthly pay between EUR 3000-4000.
They kept the victim locked in one house in Pančevo first, than in Belgrade, and then transferred her to Croatia, where she was given forged Croatian documents and transferred by boat from Split to Ancona and finally to Torino.
The Court has established that Stošić ordered the victim to practice prostitution, which she refused, but agreed after he had kept her locked and beaten her up for three days.
The victim practiced prostitution for 10 days along the highway near Treviso, thus earning EUR 30-40 „per client“, i.e. EUR 500-600 a day, after which she ran away to Ancona, from where she went to Split by boat and than to Belgrade by bus.
Judge Lukić said that the judgment had been made based on victim’s testimony and statements made by witnesses who had confirmed her testimony, while the court has assessed the defense as unconvincing, illogical and contrary to presented evidence.
The Court has also dismissed the statement of the accused, according to which the victim made everything up because she was „a pathological liar“, since it has been established by psychiatric examination that the victim did not show „the signs of pathological lying“.