Will be tried with an old acquaintance
R. Peciunas is accused of possessing pornographic material depicting a child or a person presented as a child. Such a crime is punishable by a fine, restriction of liberty, arrest, or imprisonment for up to four years. The trial is scheduled to begin on September 17. The trial will be held behind closed doors.
Read more New Lithuanian Airport Board Elected
In the case handed over to the court in June, R. Peciunas will be tried together with Barbara Leščevska. There are no victims in R. Peciunas’s episode, although there are three victims in the overall case.
According to 15min, the currently inactive priest and the mentioned woman have friendly relations and have known each other for a long time.
R. Peciunas himself does not deny this, but he told 15min that he does not want to comment further on the case details. He only confirmed that he definitely did not admit guilt in this case and does not intend to admit it.
R. Peciunas also told 15min that more than a year ago, during the pre-trial investigation, law enforcement representatives offered him to admit guilt, find a guarantor, and end the process with exemption from criminal liability under the guarantee. But he said he could not agree to that because he did not commit any crime.
B. Leščevska’s lawyer, Tomas Januškevičius, who could not be reached by 15min, said that his client also does not admit guilt.
“We hope the person will be acquitted because there was a certain, let’s say, misunderstanding here, which we will try to explain in court. It is not really as the prosecution tries to present it. Yes, there are suspicions related to certain files of pornographic material, illegal possession, but whether this is illegal and whether these are really matters equivalent to pornography, the court will decide.
In my opinion, there was a certain misunderstanding, a rather narrow view by the prosecution. A legal process is underway. Prosecutors think one way, and the court will decide everything,” the lawyer said.
Asked about the victims in his client’s episode, T. Januškevičius said that “it was looked at very formally”: “The status has been granted, but whether those persons are truly victims will also be finally decided in the legal process.”
Read more Urologist begs – throw this item out of the house: it causes serious health problems
The priest is defended by the family who sent images with children
R. Peciunas claims that the computer found in his home contained images sent to him by a family living abroad, with whom he has known for a long time, as well as viral files that contained images of children which allegedly were not pornographic in nature.
“There are two children involved. Children of a close family with whom I have certainly been in contact for many years,” R. Peciunas told TV3 news.
Representatives of the family also claim that the photos and videos sent to the priest were not pornographic.
“There is also a video where she is undressed. Before that, there was a video where she was in a swimsuit, but then the swimsuit was wet, and she briefly undressed. When that video was made, I did not even notice that she was undressed. It is not like she is standing with her mouth open showing something. There was no pornography,” Henrieta, a friend of the priest living abroad, told TV3 News. She claimed that her family has been in contact with the priest for several decades, and to the children, he is like an uncle with whom they like to be and play.
Another priest faces very serious charges
Last week, law enforcement announced that a case was handed over to the Vilnius District Court in which another priest, 56-year-old Tadas Švedavičius, is accused of sexual crimes against 11 minors. These individuals are now adults. Among the charges is the rape of a minor.
According to law enforcement data, 34 criminal episodes were recorded, with crimes committed over 23 years – from 2002 to 2025.
Neither the prosecution nor the Vilnius Archdiocese revealed the identity of the clergyman, but according to media reports, the clergyman accused of crimes against minors is 56-year-old T. Švedavičius, ordained a priest on June 29, 2001.
The trial date for T. Švedavičius’s case has not yet been set.
