The court sentenced to 10 years in prison the instigators of the attack on public activist Kateryna Handziuk – former chairman of Kherson Regional Council Vladyslav Manher and assistant deputy of the Regional Council Oleksiy Levin.

"At the public accusation of the Prosecutor General’s Office, the former chairman and assistant deputy of Kherson Regional Council were found guilty of ordering and organizing the commission by prior agreement of a group of persons of intentional grievous bodily harm in a manner having the character of special torment and resulting in the death of the victim Kateryna Handziuk under Part 3 of Article 27, Part 2 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 121 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine)," the PGO reported on the Telegram channel on Monday.

The Office informs that the prosecutors asked for the maximum possible punishment for both – 10 years in prison.

"The court agreed with the arguments and position of the prosecutors and sentenced them to 10 years in prison. And also to recover UAH 5 million of moral damage in favor of the victims," the message says.

According to the report, prosecutors proved in court that at the beginning of July 2018, at that time, the chairman of Kherson Regional Council, on the basis of personal hostility, decided to organize an attack on public activist Kateryna Handziuk. In the direct organization of the crime, he attracted an assistant deputy of Kherson Regional Council.

"He, in turn, met with the future coordinator of the attack, Serhiy Torbin, and offered to attract perpetrators and accomplices in the commission of the crime for a monetary reward. On July 31, 2018, at about 08:45, the performer doused Handziuk with sulfuric acid near the entrance of her house," the PGO said.

As reported, on July 31, 2018 in Kherson, an unknown person poured concentrated sulfuric acid on activist Handziuk near her house. The victim with burns was taken to a local hospital, but was soon transferred to a medical facility in Kyiv. Handziuk passed away on November 4.

The defendants in the case: chairman of Kherson regional council Manher, MP's assistant Ihor Pavlovsky, ATO former soldier Serhiy Torbin and Oleksiy Levin (Moskalenko) are accused of committing a criminal offense under Part 3 of Article 27 (types of complicity), Paragraphs 4, 6, 11, 12, Part 2 of Article 115 (premeditated murder) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

The court found five perpetrators of the attack on Handziuk guilty and sentenced them to imprisonment.

Manher was accused of committing a criminal offense under Part 3 of Article 27, Part 2 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 121 (intentional grievous bodily harm) of the Criminal Code.