A brother and sister have been found guilty in connection with an attack on two teenage girls in Dundee, which escalated from a man's sexual remarks. Ilia Belov, 22, was convicted after a trial at Dundee Sheriff Court of making inappropriate comments to a group of girls, aged between 12 and 14, before physically assaulting one of them. His sister, Nadjedzha Belova, 20, had previously admitted her role in the incident, assaulting a 13-year-old girl by grabbing her hair, dragging her to the ground, and striking her head.
The court heard that the altercation began in the Lochee area of Dundee when Mr Belov addressed the girls with comments such as, 'hello sexy, I'll show you a good time'. After one of the girls called him a 'creep', Mr Belov returned to confront the group and contacted his sister, who arrived shortly thereafter. Nadjedzha Belova then engaged in the assault on one of the girls. Mr Belov's defence claimed he acted out of fear for his sister, alleging he saw one of the girls with a knife and axe, and that the children had used abusive language towards him.
However, Sheriff Tim Niven-Smith dismissed Mr Belov's claims of self-defence, highlighting the 'eloquent' evidence presented by the girls. The Sheriff stated he was 'entirely satisfied by proof beyond reasonable doubt that the trigger for all of this were the comments that you made.' The court was told that the 12-year-old girl Mr Belov attacked did admit to pulling a knife and axe from her waistband, but crucially, this occurred only after she had been assaulted by him.
During cross-examination, the 12-year-old girl recounted how Mr Belov pushed her, causing her head to hit a ramp's handrail. She then retrieved the weapons, and Mr Belov was reported to have filmed her with them on his phone. The prosecutor, Michael Robertson, questioned Mr Belov on his decision to confront the girls and call his sister instead of the police, noting he was the adult in the situation. Mr Belov responded that he 'needed to know why they are disrespecting me for no reason' and believed they were 'in danger'.
The mother of one of the girls involved expressed relief following the conviction, describing the guilty verdict as 'a good thing'. The case has drawn attention to public safety and the appropriate conduct of adults in interactions with young people. Both Ilia Belov and Nadjedzha Belova are scheduled to appear for sentencing at Dundee Sheriff Court on 5 August.
Source: Dundee Sheriff Court