A Bulgarian man has been found guilty of assaulting a 12-year-old girl who used an axe to defend herself before police arrived. Ilia Belov, 22, made sexual remarks about the girl before pushing her, causing her to hit her head on a metal handrail. His sister, Nadjedzha Belova, earlier pleaded guilty to attacking the girl’s 13-year-old friend during the incident in the Lochee area of Dundee in August last year.
Court Proceedings
Dundee Sheriff Court heard that the 12-year-old was in a group of four girls aged between 12 and 14 when Belov made sexual comments towards her. Giving evidence by video-link, the girl, who is now 13, recalled: ‘He kept saying, “come here sexy. I will show you how to have a good time”.’
She said his remarks made her feel ‘dead angry’ and she turned around and shouted at him. Belov then phoned his sister, who arrived soon after and began attacking a 13-year-old member of the group. He then pushed the 12-year-old, who told the court she hit her head on a metal handrail as she fell to the ground.
Self-Defense with Weapons
The girl then pulled out an axe and knife she said she had been hiding in her waistband for five to 10 minutes before the incident. She said she was ‘sat holding’ the weapons after she revealed them as she ‘knew’ the man would ‘try to go for (the other girl)’. The 12-year-old then dumped the weapons on a nearby roundabout as the police arrived minutes later. Officers recovered the weapons later.
Background and Reactions
The case has drawn attention to issues of public safety and self-defense. The girl’s actions were described as brave by local community members. The court is expected to sentence Belov at a later date.
