Ukrainian man detained in Sofia for murder of Japanese girlfriend; six knives found
Sofia City Court has ordered the detention of 25-year-old Ukrainian Yaroslav Gulyatkin for the murder of his 18-year-old Japanese girlfriend in the capital's Bohuvo neighbourhood.
Six knives with biological traces seized from apartment in Bohuvo neighbourhood
According to Novinite.com, Sofia City Court has ordered the detention of 25-year-old Ukrainian Yaroslav Gulyatkin, accused of murdering his 18-year-old Japanese girlfriend in the capital's Bohuvo neighbourhood. Six knives bearing biological traces were seized from the apartment where the woman's body was found.
In its reasoning, the court stated that there was sufficient grounds to believe that Gulyatkin may have committed the crime of which he is accused for the purposes of imposing a preventive measure. The judge noted that when police officers arrived, the defendant attempted to enter the apartment and lock the door without succeeding.
Subsequently, officers discovered blood traces in front of the residence, at the entrance and inside it. The court established that Gulyatkin lived at the address where the body was found. Forensic medical examination established numerous wounds and swellings on the victim's body, with the expert stating that the injuries could correspond to resistance offered during an assault.
Prosecutor Rusalina Mikhaylova told the court that there was reasonable ground to believe that Gulyatkin had committed the crime, and argued a real risk of reoffending. She also pointed to the actions that followed the alleged murder—Gulyatkin damaged three vehicles and the entrance door of the residential building.
Mikhaylova also stressed the circumstance that his foreign citizenship and status of temporary residence in Bulgaria posed a risk of flight. It was precisely in this context that she emphasised that six knives, each containing biological traces, had been seized from the crime scene.
Defence lawyer Vladimir Velevski contested the prosecution's thesis, stating that no one had seen Gulyatkin killing the woman. According to the lawyer, witnesses had noticed an open apartment door, the girl's body and his client beside it, but not the assault itself.
Velevski also questioned whether the evidence justified the murder charge. He acknowledged that Gulyatkin had broken the glass of the entrance door and entered the residence, but argued that the number of injuries to the victim raised the question of whether his client could have caused them at all within the time spent inside. The defence also rejected the claim of risk of flight, with Velevski pointing out that the lease for the apartment was in order and rent had been paid on time.
Gulyatkin himself asked the court to impose house arrest on him. "I will not hide from law enforcement. My state of health is poor. I ask the court to place me under house arrest because I really do not feel well. I have pancreatitis and other stomach ailments," he said.
Following the hearing, Velevski told journalists that in his view there was a lack of evidence of his client's guilt. "The judge has his own opinion and I cannot make him think otherwise," the lawyer said.
According to investigators, Gulyatkin and the 18-year-old Japanese national were a couple and had lived together at the address in question for around three years. The case drew police attention after neighbours reported that a young man was damaging vehicles in front of the building and had broken the glass of the entrance door. When police officers arrived, the man locked himself in the apartment. Upon noticing blood traces, they entered by force and discovered the body.
The court's decision to detain Gulyatkin in custody is not final and is subject to appeal.
Source: Novinite.com