Man, 35, Arrested Over Attack on Belgrade Lawyer
Police arrested a 35-year-old man suspected of attacking a lawyer in Decanska Street on September 5. The probe found two more victims; the case now rests with Belgrade prosecutors.
A 35-year-old man has been arrested in Belgrade’s Stari Grad municipality on suspicion of committing an unlawful sexual act and two counts of sexual harassment. His initials have not been released.
According to reporting by Telegraf, the case was reported after the suspect allegedly attacked a lawyer in Decanska Street, right in the center of Belgrade, on September 5. During the investigation, authorities established that there are two more victims, identified only as J.R. (22) and J.V. (35), who are also believed to be linked to the same suspect.
Neither the exact date of the arrest nor the time of the attack has been disclosed. It is also not known when or where the other two women, whose initials appeared in the reports, were attacked. Srpske Novine has not previously covered this case.
What happened in Decanska Street
Decanska Street sits in the very heart of Belgrade, just steps from Terazije, in an area with heavy foot traffic throughout the day. According to available information, it was there, on September 5, that the lawyer reported being sexually assaulted by an unknown man.
In the days that followed, investigators reportedly linked the lawyer’s report to two other cases, involving victims J.R. (22) and J.V. (35). In cases like this, investigators typically connect reports by matching the attacker’s description, the location and timing of the incidents, and any available security camera footage. Exactly how the three reports came to be linked in this particular case has not been made public.
What the suspect is charged with
The suspect is charged with one count of committing an unlawful sexual act and two counts of sexual harassment. These are two separate offenses under the laws protecting sexual freedom, and they differ from rape in that they do not require the use of force or threats as a defining element.
Until a final verdict, the suspect is presumed innocent, as required under legal standards. The allegations from the investigation remain just that: suspicions still to be confirmed through proceedings before the prosecutor’s office.
What comes next in the investigation?
The man has been placed in police custody for up to 48 hours. Once that period expires, he will be brought before the competent prosecutor, who will decide how the case proceeds.
The case falls under the jurisdiction of Belgrade’s First Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office, which is conducting the preliminary proceedings. That means the investigation is still in an early stage, one in which evidence is gathered and witnesses are questioned before prosecutors decide whether to file an indictment.
Once the custody period ends, prosecutors will also decide whether to seek pretrial detention of up to 30 days or to proceed with the suspect at large, potentially under a restraining order barring him from approaching the victims. That decision will depend on the investigation’s findings so far and any forensic examinations that follow.
News of the arrest broke on the morning of September 13, within minutes of each other, across several news outlets. The attack in Decanska Street itself took place, according to all available sources, eight days earlier. Reports do not specify when the lawyer filed her complaint or whether any passersby witnessed the attack on the busy downtown street.
The initials of both victims, J.R. and J.V., were released without full names, in keeping with standard practice for protecting the identities of victims in crimes against sexual freedom. The suspect’s full name has also been withheld, for a different reason: the presumption of innocence until a final verdict is reached.
Srpske Novine will follow the case as it proceeds before Belgrade’s First Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office and will publish new details as soon as they are officially confirmed.
