For 400 hryvnias, he faces 7 years in prison: an acquaintance robbed a 91-year-old woman near the elevator

An acquaintance snatched an elderly woman’s bag from her shoulder near the elevator, but claimed in court that he had simply found it on the railing

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05 Nov 2026

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In Mykolaiv, a 40-year-old local resident was sentenced to 7 years in prison for robbing a 91-year-old pensioner he knew and had previously helped with household chores. The man stole the woman’s handbag, which contained a wallet with about 400 hryvnias. At trial, the defendant denied committing the robbery and claimed that he had supposedly found the bag on the stairwell railing.

This was reported by the press service of the Central District Court of Mykolaiv. The case was heard by Judge Serhii Mediuk. The man was charged with a criminal offense under Part 4 of Article 186 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Snatched her bag by the elevator and fled despite the pensioner’s pleas

The court established that the defendant entered the stairwell of an apartment building on Tsentralnyi Avenue in Mykolaiv together with a 91-year-old woman he knew.

When the pensioner stopped by the elevator, the man suddenly snatched the handbag from her shoulder. Inside was a wallet containing about 400 hryvnias.

The victim asked him to return her belongings, but her acquaintance ignored her pleas, ran out of the building, and fled the scene.

He helped with household chores in exchange for food: the defendant’s account

At the hearing, the man gave a different account of events.

According to him, he had met the pensioner about two weeks before the incident. Since then, he had helped her with household chores, and the woman had fed him in return.

The defendant claimed that on that day he saw the woman on a bench by the entrance. The pensioner supposedly invited him to go up to her floor and collect a bag of flour she had left for him by her apartment door.

The man agreed, went upstairs, and took the bag. According to his account, when he returned to the ground floor, he saw a woman’s handbag hanging on the railing.

The defendant said he took the bag and hid it under his jacket. By the time he left the building, the pensioner was no longer on the bench.

He said the bag contained a wallet with 400 hryvnias and some keys. The man kept the money and threw the other items away near the trash bins.

At the same time, he pleaded not guilty to the criminal offense under Part 4 of Article 186 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—that is, robbery.

Metal chain by the elevator helped establish the circumstances of the crime

Despite the defendant’s denials, the court concluded that his guilt had been proven.

In particular, the court examined the records of the investigative experiment and the crime scene inspection.

During an inspection of the stairwell on the ground floor, near the elevator, law enforcement officers found a metal chain that served as the handle of the woman’s handbag.

The court considered this discovery evidence that the man had taken the victim’s property by snatching it, rather than simply taking a bag from the railing, as the defendant claimed.

The evidence confirmed the presence of an aggravating element of the crime: the open theft of another person’s property.

Having examined the case materials, the court therefore found the circumstances of the robbery of the 91-year-old woman proven.

Seven years in prison for 400 hryvnias from a handbag

Following the hearing, the Central District Court of Mykolaiv found the 40-year-old man guilty of a criminal offense under Part 4 of Article 186 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Judge Serhii Mediuk sentenced the defendant to 7 years in prison.

The court’s statement does not say whether the verdict has entered into force or whether the convicted man plans to appeal it.

Source: press service of the Central District Court of Mykolaiv.

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