Man arrested in Jēkabpils over abuse of wife and young children now remanded in custody

A court on Thursday approved a request by the State Police to remand in custody a man who was detained earlier this week in Jēkabpils over an attack on his wife and their two minor children, the LETA agency reported, citing police.

What happened

Shortly before 9 p.m. on Tuesday, police received a report of a physical assault on a woman inside her apartment. The woman, who is going through divorce proceedings with the man, was at home with their children, aged two and seven, when the man entered through the balcony door and physically attacked her, causing bodily injuries. He also treated the children present in the apartment cruelly and violently, causing them emotional suffering.

The woman managed to get out of the apartment and asked a neighbour to call the police. Arriving officers found the man on a windowsill; he then climbed onto the building's roof, where he stood near the edge, shouted various phrases and threatened to harm himself. He later climbed down into the courtyard, where police detained him using a stun gun and handcuffs, given his aggressive and unpredictable behaviour. The woman received medical treatment at the scene but did not require hospitalisation.

Prior history

The detained man, born in 1991, was already known to police. In 2022 he was convicted of causing serious bodily harm and had already served his sentence for that offence. Since 14 February, active criminal proceedings had been underway against him over cruel treatment of a minor and threats of serious bodily harm; on that same date he was taken to a medical facility, where he spent a month in treatment. A court ruling on temporary protection against violence, including restrictions on approaching the woman, took effect on 17 February; police have no information that he violated it. Earlier this year the woman had asked police to withdraw her complaint and drop the criminal case, but the request was denied. On Tuesday, a court hearing also took place restricting the man's contact rights with the couple's children, which police believe may have been a factor behind the incident.

A criminal case has been opened over the incident under several articles of the Criminal Law, covering failure to comply with a protection order, threats of murder and serious bodily harm, cruelty toward a minor, and unlawful violent entry into a dwelling.