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The judicial panel of the Panevėžys Regional Court, having examined the criminal case on appeal, upheld the lower court's sentence, which imposed a term of imprisonment on Žydrūnas Balseris, a recognized recidivist, for persistent theft. Although the appellant sought a reduction of the sentence or more lenient conditions for serving it, the Regional Court concluded that justice could only be achieved by isolating the convict from society.

According to the case files, in September 2025, Ž. Balseris carried out consistent and well-planned thefts from an "Iki" retail store operating in Rokiškis. Over the course of eight days, the convict returned to the same location to steal 10 times; on September 4 alone, he appeared at the store four times in less than an hour.

The convict targeted high-value goods – various brands of coffee beans and ground coffee (Pellini, Lavazza, Paulig, L’Or). The value of the goods stolen during each instance ranged from €92.50 to €278.43. It was calculated that Ž. Balseris misappropriated a total of 97 packages of various coffees, one box of chocolates, and in five instances, also stole the shopping baskets belonging to the mall along with the merchandise. The total property damage caused to the retail chain amounts to €1,843.57.

The court of first instance sentenced Ž. Balseris to 1 year and 3 months of imprisonment. Due to his confession, the sentence was commuted to 10 months and subsequently combined with a previous conviction, resulting in a final custodial sentence of 1 year, 1 month, and 20 days.

In his appeal, the convict argued that the sentence was too severe, noting that the crime was non-violent and that he had the potential to reform, as he is currently employed and seeking to maintain a relationship with his child. However, the judicial panel rejected these arguments. In the court's assessment, Ž. Balseris is a dangerous recidivist with nine prior convictions for similar property crimes, having committed the new offenses just weeks after his previous sentence was announced.

"Žydrūnas Balseris fails to draw conclusions regarding his inappropriate behavior – on the contrary, he continues to violate the law. His criminal activity is not accidental; it is a consistent result of his misconduct," the judicial panel noted.

The court stated that previous lenient sentences imposed on Ž. Balseris, such as community service or restricted liberty, had no positive impact. Therefore, the objectives of the penal system can only be met through a custodial sentence. Ž. Balseris is also required to compensate for the full property damage caused to the company "IKI Lietuva."

The convict's request to serve his sentence in an open colony was rejected by the Regional Court as unfounded, noting that such matters fall under the jurisdiction of the Lithuanian Prison Service.

The ruling of the Panevėžys Regional Court enters into force on the day of its announcement.

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