Choirmaster Bohumil Kulinský found guilty of sexually abusing underage choirgirls

A regional court in the town of Hradec Králové has found choirmaster Bohumil Kulinský guilty of charges of sexual abuse of underage girls. The case relates to 49 separate counts of abuse of choirgirls in his charge between the years of 1984 and 2004. The former choirmaster’s defence rejected the charges during the trial although Mr Kulinský admitted having “sexual relations” with some of his pupils who were above the age of sexual consent – 15 in the Czech Republic. The defence also questioned the reliability of the testimonies given against him. The state prosecutor recommended a prison sentence of eight and a half years for Mr Kulinský and also recommended that he be prevented from having contact with children for a period of ten years. However, the court subsequently sentenced Kulinský to a three year suspended sentence.