Court Sentences Priest to Five Years for Rape

Prague Daily Monitor
February 27, 2015

http://www.praguemonitor.com/2015/02/27/court-sentences-priest-five-years-rape

Havlickuv Brod, East Bohemia, Feb 26 (CTK) - A Czech court Thursday sentenced Erik Tvrdon, a priest from Havlickuv Brod, to five years in jail for the rape and sexual abuse of several women, it ordered his institutional treatment and banned him from working with children for five years.

The verdict has not taken effect, since the state attorney appealed it as too mild.

The court did not accept Tvrdon's assertion that the accusations were but a conspiracy aimed to destroy him.

The police launched the investigation of the case based on a report from a 38-year-old woman.

She said Tvrdon had exerted psychological pressure on her since summer 2012 and repeatedly raped her in late 2013.

"After the woman reported the case, the police found other damaged persons," judge Hana Doubkova said.

Tvrdon is suspected of nine crimes that damaged five women, two of whom were adult, another two juvenile and one underage.

He faced up to ten years in prison.

The state attorney accused Tvrdon of sexual pressure, blackmail, rape, sexual abuse and the abuse of a child in porno production.

On Tvrdon's request, the court proceedings were held in his absence.