Prosecutor seeks suspended sentences over poaching-case threats

Prosecutors are seeking suspended prison sentences and fines for two men accused of threatening a person involved in Finland’s largest poaching case, Yle reports.

The men are charged with threatening a person involved in legal proceedings. They deny the charges. The same man is identified as the injured party in both cases; he was convicted of several offences in the Lapinlahti hunting-crime case.

One of the accused was also convicted in the poaching case, while the other was not involved in it. The first man is accused of threatening the same person on two occasions, including threatening to kill him, blaming him for other suspects being caught and forcefully gripping his neck.

The other accused is alleged to have blamed the man for the arrests at a restaurant and shoved him forcefully.

Prosecutors say the men acted to stop the man from giving statements in court or during the pre-trial investigation, or to influence what he said. They say the actions were prompted by his statements during the investigation.

For the man accused of two threats, prosecutors are seeking a suspended prison sentence of several months. For the other, they seek a shorter suspended sentence or a substantial fine. Both men have denied the charges in written responses to the North Savo District Court.

The Lapinlahti poaching case began in the North Savo District Court in Kuopio in February 2025.