A Kyiv resident was caught with stolen goods worth 1,621 hryvnias by the security at Epicenter. Here’s what the court decided.

A woman attempted to steal goods from Epicenter amounting to 1,621 hryvnias. She explained that her actions were driven by a lack of funds. This information is detailed in the verdict of the Obolon District Court of Kyiv, published on April 22, 2024.

On May 15, 2023, the woman, while in the Epicenter hypermarket, took pads, laundry gels, and toothpaste from the shelves, totaling 1,621 hryvnias. She hid the items in a backpack she had, passed the checkout line, and headed towards the exit of the premises, but was apprehended by security staff. The citizen committed a crime as defined by part 2 of article 15 and part 4 of article 185 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, specifically a completed attempt at secretly stealing someone else's property (theft), committed repeatedly under martial law.

During the court hearing, the accused fully admitted her guilt. She explained that on May 15, 2023, she went to Epicenter, where she decided to commit theft by taking laundry gel, pads, and toothpaste from the shelves of items that were freely accessible, and placed them in her backpack. She then passed the checkout line, where she was stopped by store employees. All the goods she had taken were seized and returned. Furthermore, she committed theft because she did not have the money to purchase the mentioned items, as she was unemployed at that time. The accused expresses remorse for her actions and asks the court not to impose a harsh punishment.

What punishment did the court choose?

The court found the woman guilty of committing a crime as defined by part 2 of article 15 and part 4 of article 185 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and sentenced her to 5 years of imprisonment. According to parts 1 and 4 of article 70 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, considering the cumulative nature of the crimes, by absorbing the less severe punishment of 3 years and 1 month of imprisonment, which was imposed by the verdict of the Dnipro District Court of Kyiv on September 14, 2023, with the more severe punishment of 5 years of imprisonment imposed by this verdict, the final sentence was set at 5 years of imprisonment.