'Aggravating factors - national proceedings' in document 'Lithuania - Criminal Code'

Jump to:

RELEVANT SECTIONS OF THE IMPLEMENTING LEGISLATION

GENERAL PROVISIONS

CHAPTER VIII
IMPOSITION OF A PENALTY

Article 60. Aggravating Circumstances

1. The following shall be considered as aggravating circumstances :

1) the act has been committed by a group of accomplices. Taking into consideration the nature and extent of participation of each accomplice in the commission of the criminal act, a court shall have the right not to recognise this circumstance as aggravating ;
2) the act has been committed by an organised group ;
3) the act has been committed by reason of disorderly conduct or for mercenary reasons ;
4) the act has been committed by torturing the victim or subjecting him to taunting ;
5) the act has been committed against a young child ;
6) the act has been committed against a person in a helpless state owing to an illness, disability, old age or for other reasons, in the absence of the person’s request ;
7) the act has been committed against a woman known to be pregnant ;
8) the act has been committed by taking advantage of a public or other person’s disaster ;
9) the act has been committed by a person under the influence of alcohol, narcotic, psychotropic or other psychoactive substances, where these circumstances influenced the commission of the criminal act ;
10) the act has been committed in a publicly dangerous manner or by using explosives, explosive materials or firearms ;
11) the committed act has caused grave consequences ;
12) the act has been committed in order to express hatred towards a group of persons or a person belonging thereto on grounds of age, sex, sexual orientation, disability, race, nationality, language, descent, social status, religion, convictions or views.

2. When imposing a penalty, a court shall not take into consideration an aggravating circumstance which is provided for in a law as constituting the body of a crime.

GENERAL PROVISIONS

CHAPTER VIII
IMPOSITION OF A PENALTY

Article 61. Imposition of a Penalty in the Presence of Mitigating and/or Aggravating Circumstances

1. When imposing a penalty, a court shall take into consideration whether only mitigating circumstances or only aggravating circumstances, or both mitigating and aggravating circumstances have been established and shall assess the relevance of each circumstance.

2. Having assessed mitigating and/or aggravating circumstances, the amount, nature and interrelation thereof, also other circumstances indicated in paragraph 2 of Article 54, a court shall make a reasoned choice of a more lenient or more severe type of a penalty as well as the measure of the penalty with reference to the average penalty.

3. The average penalty provided for by a law shall be determined as the aggregate of the minimum and maximum measure of a penalty provided for in the sanction of an article, which is subsequently divided by half. Where the sanction of the article prescribes no minimum measure of a penalty for a committed criminal act, the average penalty shall be determined on the basis of the minimum measure of a penalty fixed for that type of penalties.

4. Where the offender voluntarily confesses to commission of a crime, sincerely regrets it and actively assists in the detection of the crime as well as there are no aggravating circumstances, a court shall impose upon him a custodial sentence not exceeding the average penalty provided for in the sanction of an article for the committed crime or a non-custodial sentence.

5. A court may impose a custodial sentence not exceeding the average penalty provided for in the sanction of an article for the committed crime upon a person who participated in the commission of a premeditated murder, where he makes a confession regarding all the criminal acts committed by him and actively assists in the detection of the premeditated murder committed by members of an organised group or a criminal association.

6. Paragraph 5 of this Article shall not apply to the organiser or leader of a premeditated murder, organised group or criminal association.

RELEVANT ROME STATUTE PROVISIONS

Article 76
Sentencing
1. In the event of a conviction, the Trial Chamber shall consider the appropriate sentence to be imposed and shall take into account the evidence presented and submissions made during the trial that are relevant to the sentence.
2. Except where article 65 applies and before the completion of the trial, the Trial Chamber may on its own motion and shall, at the request of the Prosecutor or the accused, hold a further hearing to hear any additional evidence or submissions relevant to the sentence, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure and Evidence.
3. Where paragraph 2 applies, any representations under article 75 shall be heard during the further hearing referred to in paragraph 2 and, if necessary, during any additional hearing.
4. The sentence shall be pronounced in public and, wherever possible, in the presence of the accused.

Article 78
Determination of the sentence
1. In determining the sentence, the Court shall, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure and Evidence, take into account such factors as the gravity of the crime and the individual circumstances of the convicted person.
2. In imposing a sentence of imprisonment, the Court shall deduct the time, if any, previously spent in detention in accordance with an order of the Court. The Court may deduct any time otherwise spent in detention in connection with conduct underlying the crime.
3. When a person has been convicted of more than one crime, the Court shall pronounce a sentence for each crime and a joint sentence specifying the total period of imprisonment. This period shall be no less than the highest individual sentence pronounced and shall not exceed 30 years imprisonment or a sentence of life imprisonment in conformity with article 77, paragraph 1 (b).