This archive report was first published on 1 November 2019.
On October 30, a Moscow court began a retrial of a case that had been pending for over a year. The case involves a 59-year-old man named Gennady Shcherbakov, who was accused of using a cat as a weapon against police.
According to reports, Shcherbakov was seen approaching a police officer with his cat, which he claimed had wandered onto the scene of its own accord. However, the officer testified that the cat had been deliberately placed in his path.
Shcherbakov denied the charges, claiming that the cat had been a stray that had wandered onto the scene. He also claimed that the cat had been a nuisance to the residents of the building, and that he had been trying to protect them.
However, the court found Shcherbakov guilty of using a cat as a weapon against a police officer, and sentenced him to five years in prison.
Shcherbakov's case has sparked controversy, with some arguing that the sentence was too harsh. Others have defended the decision, citing the need to protect police officers from harm.
Published on November 1, 2019, at 13:24:01.
