Victor Dembovskis

Viktors Dembrovskis (born 1964 in Latvian SSR, Soviet Union) is a Latvian rapist and murderer who is currently imprisoned in England. [cite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2006/mar/30/ukcrime.rosiecowan |title=Three life sentences for Latvian who raped and killed girl, 17]

He raped and murdered 17-year-old Jeshma Raithatha in Greenford, West London on May 16, 2005. Dembovskis fled to Latvia soon after the murder but was soon arrested and extradited back to England.

Dembovskis was found guilty of rape and murder at the Old Bailey on March 29, 2006. He received three concurrent terms of life imprisonment and trial judge recommended that he should never be released, a rare recommendation for someone guilty of a single murder. It was revealed that he had been jailed twice on rape charges in his native Latvia. [cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/4800684.stm |title=Schoolgirl 'murdered on way home'] [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4856848.stm Life sentence for Jeshma killer] ]

In February 2007, the European Court of Justice began a review of lifelong imprisonment to determine whether such sentences amounted to a violation of human rights. It lifelong imprisonment is outlawed, then Dembovskis and all other prisoners serving such sentences would have their cases recalled to court in order for a new minimum term to be set.

On 23 February 2008, "The Times" revealed that Dembrovskis was one of around 50 prisoners who had been issued with whole life tariffs and were unlikely ever to be released. [cite web |url=http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/freedom-of-information/released-information/foi-archive-offender-management/4595-life-sentence-prisoners?view=Binary |title=Freedom of Information Request - FOI:4595 Mandatory Life Sentences]

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