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Supporters cover legal fees for Russian dad who allegedly killed friend that raped daughter

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A Russian dad who admitted to killing his best friend for raping his 8-year-old daughter has had all his legal fees paid for by supporters, according to a report.

Vyachelav M., a 34-year-old rocket engine factory worker, is under house arrest in Pribrezhnoye after fatally stabbing his one-time best pal Oleg Sviridov, according to East2West news agency. More than 1,100 locals have signed a petition demanding all charges be dropped against Vyachelav, who claimed he’d found a video of Sviridov, 32, raping his daughter and other local kids as young as age 6, the agency said.

Supporters, who are hailing the father as a hero, also contributed to a fundraiser to get him a top lawyer, East2West said. “We have collected the money, thank you all,” Vyachelsav’s father said in an update. “It was not friends or relatives who helped, but strangers from the village.”

One supporter said locals were “united” in wanting him freed and acquitted because “he saved our kids from potential pedophile abuse.” However, legal experts have warned that he will likely still face a term of imprisonment, with officials questioning the events before the killing, East2West said.

Lawyer Vera Podkolzina said proving Sviridov’s guilt from video evidence will be critical. “It is difficult to say what punishment the father of the girl may face, but he has very powerful mitigating circumstances,” she said [New York Post].

MANAGING EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE
PHOTO CREDITS: 7NEWS.COM.AU

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