“We’ve seen a lot and are subject to professional deformation”: an ex-policeman explained the refusal to help a Kaliningrad resident who was scalded with boiling water at a police station

Ex-police officer Alexander Ivanov, accused of the death of the detained Kaliningrader Ivan Vshivkov, who was scalded with boiling water in the police station, said at the trial that he did not help the deceased, because he did not realize the seriousness of the situation and explained this by professional deformation. This is reported by the publication "Sever.Realii".

“Over the years, we have seen a lot and, unfortunately, are subject to professional deformation,” Ivanov said. “Sometimes we have such a circus, sometimes they howl like that.”

The former policeman also said that he could not leave the duty unit, because during the incident he was the only one on duty and did not receive any instructions from the Vshivkov rescue management: “When it became obvious to me that the battery had burst - although I could not even imagine that such boiling water can flow from a battery and a person can get burned so badly - but there are leaders. I did not interfere in the situation, I saw that there was movement. I reacted incorrectly - the police officer should take everything upon himself, but I hoped that there were other officers and the boss.

At the same time, another defendant in the case, Nikolai Plebukh, who was then the shift supervisor, stated that he had instructed Ivanov to open Vshivkov's cell, but the policeman did not react in any way. According to him, it was recorded on video. Ivanov said that he was in the armory and did not hear anything.

Vshivkov died last fall. According to investigators, in the cell where he was left overnight, he tore off the battery and scalded himself with boiling water. As a result, the man received burns to 95% of his body and died in the hospital the day after the incident. The prosecution believes that Plebukh and Ivanov knew about the damage to the heating system in the cell, but left Vshivkov there.