Russian prosecutors have demanded a nine-year jail sentence for a Bolshoi ballet dancer accused of masterminding an acid attack that nearly blinded the troupe's artistic director, Sergei Filin.
The long prison term sought for former soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko marks the latest twist in a headline-grabbing case that has captivated the ballet world and revealed deep fissures at the legendary theatre.
The prosecution also asked the court to sentence Dmitrichenko's suspected associate Yury Zarutsky to 10 years for flinging the sulphuric acid in the face of Filin outside his Moscow apartment building on January 17.
It sought a further six years for Andrei Lipatov, who is accused of driving Zarutsky to the artistic director's home.
Moscow's Meshchansky District Court is expected to issue its verdict on Tuesday.
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"The accused are all guilty and deserve no leniency," RIA Novosti quoted Filin's lawyer Tatyana Stukalova as telling the court, adding that her client now requires constant assistance and cannot be fully engaged as a parent.
The trio had been held in pre-trial detention since March and appear in court sitting in a cage. Earlier this month they faced Filin, who said in highly emotional testimony that he would never forgive the culprits of robbing him of eyesight.
