Investigation of crime
Article 245 of the Criminal Code. Production Features
initial investigative actions
According to the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation, a preliminary investigation of crimes provided for in Article 245 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation is carried out in the form of an inquiry, and since this crime belongs to the category of minor offenses, criminal cases of cruelty to animals are subject to a magistrate.
As practice has shown, the most common investigative steps carried out at the initial stage of criminal investigations of crimes provided for in article 245 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation are: examination of the scene, examination of the animal, interrogation of a witness, victim, suspect (accused), appointment and conduct of forensic examinations .
Inspection of the scene, inspection of the animal.
Inspection of animals is not provided for by the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation, however, in criminal cases of crimes provided for in Article 245 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, it is carried out very often as part of an investigative action, such as inspection of the scene of an accident. This is due to the fact that in order to obtain and record the most complete and reliable information about the crime, it is necessary to examine not only the dead animal, but also the situation of the scene where this animal was killed and discovered.
Analysis of criminal cases shows that if the specified crime is committed in an apartment, as a rule, places of the highest concentration of forensic information are: corridor, bathroom, toilet, kitchen, balcony.
Often, the crimes provided for in Article 245 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation are committed in the courtyards and entrances of houses, can take place in playgrounds (especially if the criminal is driven by hooligan motives), in other cases in basements, attics and other premises (outbuildings), in forest park areas, and also metro.
So, on March 21, 2006, at about 3 p.m. B.S. he grabbed the dog and began to beat it in front of the citizens standing near the ticket offices and passing by, including children. He struck the animal with the knife handle on the head and other parts of the body, knocked out his eye. These actions were accompanied by obscene abuse and the phrase: "Look, now I will kill this bitch." The passengers and metro workers who were present at the same time ran to him and escorted him to the transition, however B.S. began to threaten them. After that, he continued to beat the dog in the passage, dragging it to a place inaccessible to video cameras. As a result, animal rights advocates took the dog to a veterinary clinic, where, despite the efforts of the veterinarians, the dog died on April 3, 2006.
In relation to B.S. law enforcement agencies opened a criminal case under four articles - “Cruelty to animals” (Article 245 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), “Hooliganism” (Article 213 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), “Intentional destruction or damage to property” (Article 167 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and “ The threat of murder or grievous bodily harm "(Article 119 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
If a corpse of an animal is discovered at the scene of an incident during a general inspection, the following shall be established and recorded: the place where the corpse was discovered; the position of the corpse relative to the nearest stationary objects located at the place of detection of the corpse, and the distance to them; pose (lies on the back, stomach, side, position of the muzzle and paws, etc.); traces and objects found on the body of the animal and near it.
During the inspection of the animal are established: the type of animal; breed, color, gender, as far as possible the age of the animal; individual signs of the animal (anatomical signs, physical defects, if any, traces of an injury, the presence of a special brand, mark, tattoo, etc.); the nature (type, shape, size) and location (localization) on the corpse or (in case of injury) on the body of the animal of various kinds of damage. In order to most fully identify and accurately describe the characteristics of the animal, it is advisable to involve a veterinarian and livestock specialist in the examination.
If traces of mechanical or thermal effects are detected on the animal’s body, the protocol of inspection records with special care: the place where the traces were found; their number, nature, shape, individual characteristics; applied means to identify traces; technical means and methods of photography, video recording; means and methods of removing traces.
Interrogation of a witness, victim, suspect (of the accused) is an investigative action, by means of which the fixation of ideal traces of the crime (information captured in the minds of people) is carried out.
When conducting a preliminary investigation in criminal cases of cruelty to animals, it is necessary to use both tactical (which is a complex of organizational and psychological interrogation techniques) and technical methods of recording received information (using audio and video recordings). These technical tools make it possible to fill in the missing information in restoring the picture of the crime event. The decision to use certain tactical and criminalistic methods of interrogation should be based on the evolving investigative situation in the case, the procedural position of the interrogated, and his position.
Given the specifics of the crime in question during the interrogation of witnesses, who, as a rule, are eyewitnesses of what happened, it is important to establish for certain:
- when, where and under what circumstances the animal was ill-treated;
- what exactly were the criminal acts or omissions;
- if there were several criminals, then who exactly and what actions did;
- where exactly was the witness at the time the crime was committed;
- who besides him observed a picture of a crime;
- how the criminals reacted to the demands of passers-by to stop criminal actions;
- were young children present during the commission of the crime, etc.
In the latter case, juvenile witnesses (under the age of fourteen) should also be questioned about the circumstances of the crime. An important point is the clarification during interrogation and the reflection in the protocol of this investigative action of the specifics of the child's perception of the very fact of cruelty to the animal.
According to article 191 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the interrogation of a minor witness must be carried out with the participation of a teacher. Along with the latter, a legal representative of a minor may also be present during interrogation. The importance of the participation of these persons is due to the fact that often this helps to establish contact with the child, to obtain more complete and objective information about the crime from him, to accurately reflect the information received during interrogation in the protocol.
During the interrogation of the victim with particular care, the individual signs of the animal belonging to him, which as a result of the crime was mutilated, should be recorded. It must be ascertained whether the animal was ill with any disease, if so, what exactly and since when, how the animal was left unattended or in the hands of the criminal.
For the application to the materials of the criminal case, the victim may be required to obtain the necessary documents for the animal.
If the victim knew the suspect (accused) and left him his animal for supervision, then it should be found out: what caused the victim to make such a decision, how well he knew the suspect (accused) and trusted him, did the victim instruct the suspect (accused) about how it is necessary to handle the animal (rules for walking and feeding, giving medicines, etc.).
In some cases, when an animal is killed as a result of a crime under Article 245 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, it becomes necessary to present the corpse for identification with the alleged owner. The specified investigative action is often carried out at the initial stage of the investigation, but after the alleged owner gives evidence and indicates by what specific signs he can identify his animal.
When interrogating a suspect (accused), it is necessary to take into account the position held by him (he confesses to committing a crime in full, in part, does not admit his guilt). Depending on this, interrogation tactics are built.
If the suspect (accused) fully pleads guilty, the inquiry officer should seek to obtain and record the most complete information about the deed, paying particular attention to clarifying circumstances such as: how and under the influence of something or whom the suspect (accused) had the desire to commit a crime ; place and time of the crime; sequence of criminal acts; what goals did the suspect (accused) pursue in committing a crime; who, besides him, participated in the commission of the crime and in what exactly the criminal actions of the other participants in the cruelty to the animal were expressed; whether the suspect (accused) committed similar acts in the past and what caused this; Did the suspect (accused) know who the owner of the animal was and in what relations it was with? whether young children or adults were present when the suspect (accused) committed a crime, etc.
If the suspect (accused) partially admits his guilt of the crime, it is necessary to clarify what exactly he considers himself guilty of and what not.
In cases of non-recognition of the guilt of the interrogated, he is invited to state his version of what happened. At the same time, this information should be reflected in detail in the interrogation protocol, especially information regarding the alibi declared by the suspect (accused).
In the case of giving false evidence, an important task of the interrogator is the initial forecasting of the possible causes of intentional distortion of information by the interrogated. This allows the investigator to timely and thoughtfully use the tactical methods developed by the science of forensics to identify the motivation of false testimony based on the situation at the time of interrogation. Moreover, in some cases, this can ensure the effective elimination of intentional distortion of information.
It is important to keep in mind that, unlike a witness and a victim (minors are an exception), who may be held criminally liable for giving knowingly false testimony in accordance with Article 307 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, testifying for a suspect, accused is a right. In this regard, the latter may refuse to provide any information regarding the crime committed.
In practice, very often there are cases of cruelty to animals by minors (i.e. persons who have not reached the age of eighteen by the time the crime was committed).
If a minor, at the time of the commission of the specified crime, has not reached the age of sixteen or has reached it, but due to a lag in mental development not related to a mental disorder, during the commission of a socially dangerous act he could not fully recognize the actual nature and social danger of his actions (inaction) or lead them, he is not subject to criminal liability.
When committing cruel treatment to an animal of a sane minor who has reached the age of sixteen by the time the crime is committed, a special criminal procedure will be applied to the latter, as provided for in Chapter 50 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation (“Criminal proceedings against minors” smiley.
In this case, during the inquiry in accordance with Article 51 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation, the participation of the defense counsel as well as the legal representatives of the minor suspect accused in the manner established by Articles 426 - 428 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation is mandatory.
In accordance with clause 12 of Article 5 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation, parents, adoptive parents, guardians or trustees of a minor suspect, accused, representatives of institutions or organizations in whose care the minor suspect, accused, guardianship and trusteeship may act as legal representatives.
Appointment and production of forensics.
In criminal cases of cruelty to animals, as a rule, a forensic veterinary examination is assigned and performed, by means of which it is ascertained: the causes of the death or illness of animals, birds; the nature of the disease; the severity of the injuries caused to the animal, as well as the type of weapon to which these injuries were inflicted; timeliness and accuracy of first aid to an animal, etc.
In a number of cases, when investigating criminal cases of crimes provided for in Article 245 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, it becomes necessary to appoint and conduct comprehensive examinations.
So, by veterinary and biological examination, you can establish the type, gender and age of the animal in parts of the carcass. Through a comprehensive medical and veterinary examination, it is possible to determine the species of blood, as well as individual animal tissues, etc.
The most common questions to be clarified by conducting expert studies when establishing the fact of the death or injury of animals as a result of causing mechanical damage to them are:
1. Is there damage to the animal’s corpse? If so, what is the degree of their severity, are they intravital?
2. Is the death of an animal the result of damage to it?
3. How long after the injury did the animal die?
4. What type of tools were injured found on the body of the animal (blunt, stitching, cutting, chopping, etc.)?
5. What is the severity of the lesions found on the animal’s body, are they dangerous to the life and health of the animal, and what are the consequences of causing them?
6. Could the animal itself cause damage found on its body?
7. Are the injuries found on the body of the animal caused to other animals?
8. Is the exploitative value of the animal reduced as a result of its injuries and is not subject to rejection due to loss of ability to work or a sharp decrease in productive qualities?
9. Did the death of the animal as a result of previous injuries not happen?
10. Could the veterinary care provided to the animal prevent its death?
Since in practice there are cases associated with bullying animals by introducing foreign bodies (sticks, sharp metal objects, broken bottles, glasses, stones, etc.) into their bodies, the following questions may be posed to experts:
11. In what way did the foreign body enter the animal?
12. Did a foreign object enter the animal organism in vivo? If so, how long before death? <4>
--------------------------------
<4> See: The forensic book / Ed. ON THE. Selivanova. M., 2007.S. 634.
The most common questions when establishing the fact of poisoning animals are:
1. Was poisoning the cause of the death of the animal? If so, by what substance is it called?
2. How much time has passed from the moment of poisoning to the moment of death of the animal?
3. Could the observed clinical symptoms of changes in the organs of the dead animal, established during the autopsy, be caused by the action of the poison? If so, for what kind of poison are they characteristic?
4. In what way did poisonous substances enter the body of an animal, etc.?
In addition, in criminal cases of cruelty to animals, the expert may be asked whether there is depletion of the animal and, if so, what is the reason that caused this depletion, and what external conditions could contribute to or contributed to faster death of the animal ( prolonged starvation, thirst, etc.), other issues, the formulation of which is determined by the materials of the criminal case, the specifics of the investigation of a specific crime.
At the same time, as practice shows, in many cases such forensic examinations in criminal cases of cruelty to animals are not appointed and are not carried out. In some cases, in the materials of criminal cases there are not even acts of autopsy of the animal.
The main reasons for the spread of this phenomenon in practice can be reduced to the following:
1. Since the commission of the specified crime often takes place along with other more serious crimes, the persons conducting the preliminary investigation tend to collect as much evidence as possible, especially about crimes belonging to the categories of especially grave, grave and moderate crimes. Thus, the appointment and conduct of forensic examinations of animals in some cases fall outside the field of view of officials.
2. Persons conducting a preliminary investigation in criminal cases of crimes provided for in Article 245 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation are often limited to conducting an examination, as well as interrogating the victim, witnesses who witnessed the crime, the suspect (accused), believing that this is sufficient to make a final decision on criminal case. However, in our opinion, this position is very doubtful, since no investigative action can replace a forensic examination. Moreover, the lack of expert research in such cases may lead to the incompleteness and one-sidedness of establishing the circumstances included in the subject of evidence.
Based on this, we believe that the appointment and conduct of forensic examinations in criminal cases of cruelty to animals must certainly take place, as the result of such expert studies reveals the true causes of death, as well as the nature and severity of injuries caused to the animal as a result of regarding his crime.
As practice shows, cruelty to animals is often committed by persons who have various kinds of mental illness.
In this regard, the example that took place in Chelyabinsk is very indicative when a criminal case was opened under the art. 245 of the Criminal Code.
Residents of one of the houses in the Northern region constantly found dead animals in the porch. As a result, the boy was taken to the police, where he said that he was saving these animals, trying to cure them, but they almost all died. During the investigation it turned out that Zhenya was registered with a psychiatrist, he had a mental retardation, at the age of seventeen he could neither read nor write. Based on the foregoing, a forensic psychiatric examination was ordered, the results of which showed that the boy was insane.
According to Article 196 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation, if a person conducting a preliminary investigation of a case has doubts about the sanity of the suspect (accused) or his ability to independently defend his rights and legitimate interests in criminal proceedings, the appointment and conduct of a forensic psychiatric examination is mandatory, during which can be installed:
1. Does the suspect (accused) suffer from any mental illness? If so, which ones?
2. Did the suspect (accused) have a temporary mental disorder during the commission of the crime? If so, could he in this connection give an account of his actions and lead them?
3. Is the suspect (accused) mentally ill at present and does he need to apply medical measures?
4. What medical measures should be applied to the suspect (accused), recognized as insane, suffering from mental illness at the time the crime was committed? Are there any medical contraindications in applying medical measures to the accused?
5. Does the information on the state of mental health of the suspect (accused) contained in the documents submitted for the expert study correspond to the actual state of his health?
In the investigation of criminal cases of cruelty to animals, in addition to those indicated, other types of forensic examinations may be appointed, especially in cases where the criminal act provided for in Article 245 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation is committed along with other crimes.
Source: Consultant Program