Parents entrusted their child to him: sexual abuse under investigation in Odesa region

In Odesa region, a 32-year-old man is suspected of repeatedly sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl. Her parents trusted him to look after their child. The court granted a motion by the Izmail District Prosecutor’s Office and ordered the suspect held in custody without the right to bail.

According to investigators, the man and his partner were friends with the girl’s family. Her parents trusted him and allowed him to stay alone with the child. Investigators believe he repeatedly took advantage of these circumstances to commit unlawful acts against the girl.

Investigators link one of the alleged incidents to the celebration of the suspect’s daughter’s first birthday in October 2025. According to the investigation, during the celebration the man took the girl to a separate room and sexually assaulted her.

Investigators believe that he continued to look for opportunities to be alone with the child. The man allegedly also subjected the girl to psychological pressure and threatened to harm her parents to keep her from telling anyone about the abuse.

As of October 21, 2026, investigators had established at least three alleged incidents of unlawful acts against the child. They may have taken place at different times during 2025–2026.

The pretrial investigation is ongoing. The court will determine whether the man is guilty.

We previously reported:

• Life sentence for sexually abusing seven girls: foster father sentenced
• Child rape: man in Poltava’s 15-year sentence replaced with life imprisonment
• Abused his stepdaughter for over four years, starting when she was 10: stepfather to stand trial in Zaporizhzhia region
• Children’s jiu-jitsu coach accused of abusing female students to stand trial
• In Odesa region, a wife helped her husband molest other people’s young children and record it on video