ST. PETERSBURG, June 29 (RAPSI, Mikhail Telekhov) – The Vologda Regional Court has for the second time acquitted Vologda Regional Clinical Hospital emergency physician Alexey Smironv, accused of the wrongful death of a 5-year old girl, the United press service of the Vologda Region courts informs RAPSI on Monday.

At the moment it is ruled that the physician has the right to rehabilitation; nevertheless, the court decision may be appealed in cassation in a higher court, the press service observes.

Smirnov was found guilty of the girl’s death and sentenced to 2 years in a settlement colony by the Vologda City Court in October 2018; later he was acquitted by the regional court acting in its capacity of an appeals instance. The parents of the girl challenged the ruling in cassation, the higher court returned the case to the regional court to be heard anew by a different constitution of the bench, which again discharged the physician.

According to the court materials, the girl being in a serious condition was hospitalized in February 2017; experts appointed by investigators said her death resulted from late and insufficient medical treatment provided by Smirnov. Later, experts appointed by the appeals instance concluded that the patient suffered from “competitive” diseases, so treatment of one resulted in exacerbation of the other.