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Prosecutor Wants 10 Years For Russian Doctor Who Punched Patient To Death


Thirty-two-year-old doctor Ilya Zelendinov in court earlier this year.
Thirty-two-year-old doctor Ilya Zelendinov in court earlier this year.

A Russian prosecutor has asked a court in the western city of Belgorod to sentence a hospital doctor to 10 1/2 years in prison for punching a patient to death.

The prosecutor also requested on March 21 that Ilya Zelendinov be banned from practicing for three years after his release from jail.

The incident, which took place on December 29, turned into a high profile case after security-camera footage appeared on YouTube and was aired on national television.

In the video, Zelendinov drags the patient, Yevgeny Vakhtin, from the examination table, pushes him out of the doorway, and when Vakhtin returns, throws a single blow to his face. Vakhtin falls backwards onto the floor and dies instantly.

Zelendinov then continues to scuffle with another man accompanying Vakhtin.

WATCH: A Russian Doctor Hits A Patient In Belgorod

Zelendinov and the hospital's head doctor, Vladimir Lutsenko, were fired over the incident, and Zelendinov was detained by authorities.

The case comes amid reports of other abuses by medical staff in Russia during the past year.

Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax

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