Верховный суд: экс-директор столичного спортклуба Impuls виновна в гибели ребенка в бассейне

On Wednesday, the Court of Appeal upheld the guilty verdict against former director of the sports club Impuls in Vilnius, N. Budrite, overturning her previous acquittal verdict.

The final and non-appealable verdict of the Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the District Court of Vilnius made in December 2022, sentencing the woman to three years of imprisonment with a suspended sentence for the same period and a payment of over 900 euros to the Fund for Crime Victims.

The woman was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter due to negligence, violation of established safety rules, and failure to fulfill her duties.

«The Court Panel concluded that the trial court properly assessed the evidence and the conclusions of the appellate court do not correspond to the circumstances. Duplication of duties and the ban on parents’ access led to the death of the child,» said Judge Albinas Antanaitis during the session.

The case was referred to the Court of Appeal based on a complaint from the representative of the victim.

The prosecution accused N. Budrite of not assigning responsibility for the supervision of children before and after training, following her ban on parents entering the pool area.

When scheduling the work of her subordinates on the day of the incident, N. Budrite appointed only one swimming instructor as the duty officer and pool supervisor, without considering that she would not be able to properly monitor the pool visitors and ensure their safety while conducting a group training session for children.