Trial over Bolshoi ballet acid attack adjourned for one week

Embattled Bolshoi Ballet star Pavel Dmitrichenko’s trial over his alleged involvement in a brutal acid attack has been postponed until next week (begs28Oct13). The dancer, 29, was led into Meshchansky District Court in Moscow, Russia in handcuffs on Tuesday (22Oct13) as he prepared to face charges of masterminding an assault on Bolshoi boss Sergei Filin, who was left partially blind when acid was thrown in his face in January (13).
He is accused of colluding with two jobless accomplices, Yuri Zarutsky and Andrei Lipatov, to attack Filin following artistic differences within the famed theatre troupe.
However, the case had to be adjourned until 29 October (13) due to the absence of one of his fellow defendants’ lawyers.
The three men each face up to 12 years behind bars if convicted of intentionally causing grievous bodily harm, but speaking to reporters earlier on Tuesday, Dmitrichenko pleaded his innocence, stating, “I do not admit that I am guilty.”
Meanwhile, his lawyer Sergei Kadyrov has accused three prison guards of assaulting his client while in custody following a pre-trial hearing last week (17Oct13).
Kadyrov claims a jail doctor noted the injuries the dancer suffered, and he has called on authorities to launch an investigation into the incident.