A 20-year-old man was sentenced to 23 years in prison for the kidnapping and rape of a nine-year-old boy. Prosecutors intend to challenge the sentence as too mild and ask for life imprisonment. The defendant committed such an offense not for the first time, IPN reports.

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, it happened in July 2023. One evening, the young man approached a nine-year-old boy who was playing with other children in the street. Under the pretext of giving him a gift, he told the boy to follow him to his home. After the child entered the yard, the defendant shoved him and forced him to enter the house. He locked the door and, threatening him with the use of violence, had non-consensual sex with him.

A close relative of the minor forced a window and managed to enter the defendant’s house and free the child. The man was held on remand. He declined to comment on the case.

The first court sentenced him to 23 years in closed prison. Prosecutors say they will appeal the sentence because the defendant had already been previously convicted of sexual abuse against a minor.