The Petropavlovsk city court on 7 September found 62-year-old Valery Krichenevsky, known in the city as "the axe maniac", guilty in a criminal case of attacking a woman and sentenced him to 9 years in prison.
WHAT DECISION THE COURT MADE
According to Petropavlovsk.news, the case was heard behind closed doors. Judge Takhmina Sobirova found Valery Krichenevsky guilty under Part 2 of Article 121 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan("Violent acts of a sexual nature") and established that his actions constituted a dangerous recurrence of crime.
He was sentenced to 9 years in prison, to be served in a maximum-security correctional facility. This is the maximum penalty provided for the offence with which he was charged.
The verdict has not yet come into force.
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE DEFENDANT'S POSITION
Valery Krichenevsky did not plead guilty. He claimed that he had intended to take the woman's money and phone, according to Tengrinews.kz.
In July 2026, the man attacked a 54-year-old female resident of Petropavlovsk who was returning from her allotment. The attack was interrupted by a passer-by, after which the woman was able to reach the main road and seek help.
HOW THE SUSPECT WAS ARRESTED
The suspect was detained within two hours of the victim reporting the matter to the police. His whereabouts were established partly with the help of an electronic tag, which he was wearing during the period of administrative supervision.
After his release, Valery Krichenevsky had been subject to restrictions imposed by the court.
