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The Panevėžys Regional Court has reached a final decision in the case of two Panevėžys residents regarding systematic thefts from shopping centers. The court concluded that the repeated thefts were not accidental offenses, but pre-planned, systematic criminal activity that became the source of livelihood for these individuals.

According to the case file, Rūta Majauskienė and Vika Samulevičienė committed the crimes in the Panevėžys shopping centers "Molas" and "RYO." The women targeted luxury designer perfumes and well-known brand clothing. In total, they misappropriated goods worth more than 1,700 euros over a period of three months.

The judicial panel of the Panevėžys Regional Court upheld the actual prison sentences imposed on the convicts for these crimes: a final consolidated sentence of 1 year and 8 months for R. Majauskienė, and an 8-month prison sentence along with a 700-euro fine for V. Samulevičienė.

In their appeal, the convicts sought to have their actions recognized only as petty offenses. They claimed that each theft was separate and unplanned. The women also requested that their prison sentences be commuted to arrest or a fine.

However, the court rejected the convicts' arguments, assessing that the women were unemployed, committed thefts constantly, and used the same method; therefore, their actions were categorized as continuous. The court noted that previous lighter sentences and arrests had no impact on the women's behavior.

"The convicts systematically commit criminal acts and administrative offenses against property; the objectives of punishment were not achieved by previous sentences, including arrest, therefore the court justifiedly selected the strictest type of punishment – imprisonment," the judicial panel noted.

The court also drew attention to the criminal history of both convicts. V. Samulevičienė has been convicted of theft 9 times in the last two years alone, and within a single year, she was punished administratively more than 40 times for petty theft, failing to pay the imposed fines. R. Majauskienė has been convicted as many as 33 times over a decade. Although the majority of her crimes also consist of thefts, in the past, the woman has also received a verdict for the distribution of narcotic substances.

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