Bolshoi Ballet’s Star Dancer Convicted of Acid Attack on Artistic Director

Soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko received six years in prison for masterminding the attack

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Maxim Shemetov

Dancer Pavel Dmitrichenko (C) looks out from the defendant's holding cell during a hearing in Moscow October 22, 2013.

Updated: Dec. 3, 7:00 a.m. EST

The Bolshoi Ballet’s star soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko was sentenced to six years in jail for the much publicized acid attack on the world-renowned company’s artistic director, Sergei Filin.

Dmitrichenko and two other men were convicted on Tuesday for carrying out the January 2013 acid attack which nearly blinded the director. Yuri Zarutsky, an ex-convict who carried out the attack, was slapped with a 10-year sentence and Andrei Lipatov got four years for driving a vehicle involved, CNN reports.

Moscow prosecutors originally asked for Dmitrichenko to be sentenced to nine years for masterminding the attack.

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Upset about not getting the roles he wanted, Dmitrichenko argued during the trial that he had wanted to see Filin beaten up, but had no idea that he would be severely burned and nearly blinded.

Several Bolshoi dancers have signed a letter asking the judge for leniency on Dmitrichenko, and Zarutsky has told the court that the acid attack was his own idea.

However, the judge stated in his summary that in his view, the attack was organized by the dancer.

This post has been updated to reflect the jail sentences for the three men involved.

[CNN]