Russia: an elderly woman told to drink the water after the healer left, believing her gold was still in the glass

Proceedings

1. 2019-03-13 · conviction and sentence at first instance

   Kandalaksha District Court, Murmansk Oblast, Russia (Кандалакшский районный суд Мурманской области). The defendant was convicted of theft causing significant damage to a citizen under п.«в» ч.2 ст.158 of the Criminal Code. The court found that, in the flat of an elderly woman between 12:00 and 16:10, she decided to take advantage of the householder's advanced age; told her that a curse had been placed on her; and, under the pretext of removing it, persuaded her to hand over the gold chain with pendant and the gold wedding ring she was wearing. Having taken the items, worth 14,779 roubles in total, she set a glass of water covered with a bag on the table and told the victim that after she had gone the victim should drink the water and the curse would leave her. Believing her gold to be in the covered glass, the victim allowed her to leave the flat unhindered. She was sentenced to ten months' deprivation of liberty, and by full addition under ст.70 of the unserved part of a sentence imposed by a justice of the peace in Ivanovo Oblast, to a final sentence of ten months' deprivation of liberty together with a fine of 19,000 roubles, the custodial element being suspended under ст.73.

Documented coercion mechanisms

• a victim selected for her age — the court found the defendant «решила воспользоваться престарелым возрастом» of the householder
• the removal of the curse used as the basis for surrendering the gold the victim was wearing
• a covered glass of water left on the table which the victim was led to believe contained her jewellery
• a closing instruction that she drink the water after the defendant had gone and the curse would leave her, which both deferred inspection of the glass and secured an unhindered departure