The judicial panel of the Burgas Appellate Court confirmed a six-year sentence against the criminally active A. Sh., who systematically committed crimes against tourists in the Sunny Beach resort complex during the summer of 2021.
The first crime was committed on July 3, 2021, in the Sredets Hotel, where the perpetrator entered a hotel room through an open balcony door while two tourists were sleeping. From one woman's bag, he stole one hundred leva, a gold chain with a cross, and a women's watch with a total value of 986.41 leva.
Subsequently, between July 10 and 13, 2021, A. Sh. moved on to more aggressive actions. He began stalking tourists from Germany and Russia along the wooden path near the Burgas Hotel, threatening them with a gun and forcing them to hand over monetary sums. The total value of the extorted funds amounts to 1,412.67 leva.
The court qualified the acts as committed under conditions of dangerous recidivism and continued crime. The first-instance court imposed a sentence of six years of imprisonment with a strict regime, accompanied by a fine of one hundred leva.
The defendant appealed the sentence, insisting on a lower punishment. However, the Appellate Court rejected his appeal, emphasizing the extremely high degree of public danger of the committed crimes.
The court assessors highlighted several key circumstances: A. Sh. has been repeatedly convicted of property crimes, and the current acts were committed only nine months after a previous release from prison.
The appellate panel categorically stated that a lighter sentence would be unfair and would not achieve the necessary educational and preventive effect. According to the court, the determined sentence fully corresponds to the severity of the committed crimes.
The court decision of the Burgas Appellate Court is currently subject to appeal before the Supreme Cassation Court of the Republic of Bulgaria, which provides an opportunity for additional review of the case.
This precedent clearly demonstrates the firm position of Bulgarian justice towards encroachments on tourists and maintaining public order in resort complexes.