At the end of October an incident occurred in Omsk: a 17-year-old student at lyceum No. 64 severely beat a girl his own age from a parallel class during a break. The case caused wide public outcry, and investigators are now establishing all the circumstances. Local residents suggest that similar things happened before.
A post appeared in city social media groups describing lyceum No. 64 as the scene of activity of a "criminal group made up of golden youth". The occasion for the publication was the incident of October 31. The author of the post claimed that the girl's arms and collarbone were broken, her face was disfigured, she was diagnosed with a very severe concussion, and that she was in intensive care in an unconscious state. According to him, the attacker finished off the girl lying on the floor with kicks for two minutes in front of numerous witnesses. It was also claimed that this was not the only case: "The gang brutally beats children, forces them to their knees, puts knives to their throats and makes them kiss the feet of its members. <...> The whole school is intimidated, no one gives testimony".
The information quickly spread through social networks and messaging apps, after which police began a check. Additional outcry was caused by the fact that the lyceum is considered one of the best in the city and is among the top 20 educational institutions of the Siberian Federal District.
The reports of the beating were confirmed: the injured girl was hospitalized with various injuries. Because those involved in the incident are minors, Investigative Committee officers joined the case. A criminal case was opened under Article 111 of the Russian Criminal Code, "Intentional infliction of grave harm to health". The progress of the investigation was taken under supervision by the regional prosecutor's office and personally by Alexander Bastrykin.
Accounts of what happened differ. Some students say the injured girl stood up for a boy who was being bullied by the attacker, and that he set upon her in the corridor. Another anonymous user, who identified himself as an eyewitness, claims: "The schoolgirl was the first to lunge at the guy. He was only defending himself and simply pushed the girl unsuccessfully. She fell and injured her arm, but no one finished anyone off. And even more so no one deliberately hit her on the head".
However, a RIA Novosti source reports that the injured girl was diagnosed not only with a spiral fracture of the arm, but also with a traumatic brain injury. After surgery the girl remains in hospital, and treatment and recovery may take a long time.
After the outcry, the suspect in the beating was detained, questioned and released, with a written undertaking not to leave chosen as the measure of restraint. Local media called him a boxer and reported that he has influential parents. One student told RIA Novosti: "I know this boy very well. He is from a well-off family and previously had no problems with the law. He plays football professionally and does reasonably well at school. I talked with him about this conflict and I can say one thing: it is simply an unfortunate combination of circumstances. No one deliberately pushed anyone, let alone beat anyone with their feet. Much was embellished in the post about the 'gang of rich kids'".
Investigators continue to establish what happened. The Omsk Region Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee said: "We will establish all the circumstances and causes that contributed to the commission of the crime, and also give a legal assessment of the actions or inaction of officials. In addition, we will check information about violations of the rights and lawful interests of other minors studying at this educational institution".
The lyceum itself, after a RIA Novosti correspondent called, declined to comment on what happened. According to the city administration, a thorough check is already under way at the educational institution, which should assess both the school's leadership and the behavior of those involved in the conflict.
Several medical examinations have been ordered to assess the harm to the injured girl's health. The final qualification of the criminal article will depend on their results.