The man threatened to murder the woman with whom he shared an apartment, but the woman, perceiving the threat as real, left her home and called the police. The Riga City Court found that the woman had reason to fear that the threat would be carried out.
The man was found guilty, although the woman later married him and renounced her victim status.
The court sentenced the man to imprisonment because, among other considerations, it found that a less restrictive form of punishment would not achieve the purpose of the sentence. This was indicated by the man's conduct in committing new offenses. He also failed to carry out community service, and this previously imposed penalty was replaced by short-term imprisonment.
The court imposed the two-year custodial sentence on the basis of two aggravating circumstances: recidivism and the commission of the offense in question under the influence of alcohol.
The defendant and his defence lawyer appealed against the Riga City Court's verdict to the Riga Regional Court. It found that the appeals were unfounded and upheld the judgment.