AMUR, Russia, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- An accused pedophile who police had saved from a lynch mob, was found guilty in Russia Monday of murder, sexual assault and rape, officials said.
Investigators told the Russian news agency RIA Novosti Alexei Zhitsky was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Zhitsky, who previously served eight years for another murder, had been detained in July and accused of raping a 7-year-old girl in the Eastern Amur region. However, police released him soon after, citing lack of evidence and problematic testimony by the victim.
After his release, about 300 angry residents descended upon Zhitsky's house, threatening to hang him. Officers spirited him out in a police uniform.
After his rescue, two officers were charged with abuse of power, and the investigator who ordered Zhitsky's released was fired and charged with negligence. While Zhitsky was under arrest, he confessed to killing his 40-year-old girlfriend in 2009, but later withdrew his testimony.
Zhitsky was convicted Monday after pleading not guilty to the charges. In addition to the 25-year sentence, Zhitsky was ordered to pay 1 million rubles (about $31,400) to the relatives of the woman he killed, and 500,000 rubles (about $15,694) to the family of the rape victim.
