Students dug up a woman's corpse, severed its head and boiled it so they could use the skull as an ash tray... and sliced off her fingers to use as 'fortune telling runes'

• Russian women, 18 and 20, and a man, 19, admitted to robbing a grave
• Student vets dug up body of woman, 84, and cut off head and fingers
• Group then boiled the severed body parts in their university dormitory 
• Told police they intended to use the head 'on display or as an ash tray' 

Three Russian university students dug up the corpse of an elderly woman and severed her head with a spade in order to turn it into an ash tray. 

Anastasiya Burlakova, 20, Natalia Ovcharova, 18, and Konstantin Zadvinsky, 19, admitted to robbing the grave of an 84-year-old woman in Novocherkassk, south-west Russia last year.

The trio, all studying to become veterinarians, then brought the corpse back to their college dormitory where they cut off the head and fingers and boiled the remains.

+6

Macabre: Anastasiya Burlakova, 20, pictured, and her two friends Natalia Ovcharova, 18, and Konstantin Zadvinsky, 19, admitted to digging up the corpse of an 84-year-old woman in Novocherkassk, Russia

+6

+6

Disturbing: Miss Burlakova, seen posing for pictures on social media, told police that the trio had taken the skull in order to 'keep it on display, or make an ash-tray'

Despite confessing to the crimes, the three trainee veterinarians walked free from court in Novocherkassk and will be allowed to continue their studies.

The family of the unnamed woman, who had died in January 2014, has expressed outrage at the 'soft' three year suspended jail sentences imposed by a judge.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3263043/Students-dug-woman-s-corpse-severed-head-boiled-use-skull-ash-tray-sliced-fingers-use-fortune-telling-runes.html#ixzz3oV01ir9a
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Miss Burlakova and classmates Mr Zadvinsky and Miss Ovcharova, dug up the body from the local cemetery in November last year.

The trio brought the remains back to their hostel, cutting off the head and fingers, which they intended to use as fortune telling runes.

They boiled the head, and stashed the rest of the corpse under a bed.

+6

+6

Admission: Mr Zadvinsky, left, admitted to severing the woman's head with a spade after which he, Miss Ovcharova, right, and Miss Burlakova returned to their college dorms where they boiled the skull and fingers

+6

The three student veterinarians walked free from court after getting support from their college lecturers, but the family of the woman whose grave they robbed (pictured centre) are demanding compensation

All three confessed that they were deeply interested in black magic and mysterious things.

Fellow students reported an unpleasant smell from the room in the dormitory block and called police, leading to the discovery of the corpse.

Miss Burlakova told police in her interrogation: 'We wanted to get a human skull.'

Asked why, she said: 'Either just to keep it on display, or to make an ash-tray.'

Mr Zadvinsky said: 'We dug the grave and cut off the head and fingers... to make an ashtray.'

A police source said the male student used a spade to sever the head.

'He confessed that he was scared of god when doing all this so he was praying in his mind while he went about it,' he said.

The source added that 'the parents of all students were in deep shock and stress'.

A police source also said that Mr Zadvinsky confessed to an interest in ancient German religion, and he needed runes for fortune telling.

He liked to spend time at the city cemetery 'to calm him down'.

Miss Burlakova confessed that she liked going to the cemetery while Miss Ovcharova admitted she slept near graves with her friends.

The students were spared jail because they had no criminal records.

Their teachers at the veterinary department of Novocherkassk College of Industrial Technologies and Management gave them positive references.

The judge also noted they had cooperated with investigators.

Relatives of the unnamed dead woman are shocked and have submitted a claim for 'moral damages' and launched an appeal seeking 900,000 roubles compensation - £9,400

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3263043/Students-dug-woman-s-corpse-severed-head-boiled-use-skull-ash-tray-sliced-fingers-use-fortune-telling-runes.html#ixzz3oV0Zbkeh
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Olympics Must Push Russia On Gay Rights, Say Out Athletes

 http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/worldbrief-with-ase-december-11/529e2bbd02a7604017000121

 By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Tennis star Martina Navratilova and U.S. basketball player Jason Collins said on Tuesday the International Olympic Committee has not done enough to defend the rights of gay athletes ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Russia triggered angry criticism and even calls to boycott the Sochi Games when, in June, it banned spreading "gay propaganda" to minors. Critics denounced the law as discriminatory and a curb on rights to free speech and assembly.

Speaking at the United Nations to mark International Human Rights Day, Navratilova and Collins said focus should not just be on the Sochi Games in February and March, but also on the rights of gay Russians and on anti-gay laws in other countries that will play host to global sporting events in the future.

Navratilova, who has become a champion for gay athletes in sport since revealing she was gay in 1981, said she was disappointed with the International Olympic Committee "for really putting their head in the sand" over the Russian law.

"The IOC needs to stand up better for their athletes quite frankly," she told reporters. "It's (also) what happens after, and it's not just one country, it's many countries."

"Nobody is talking about, for example, Qatar, where the World Cup is going to be, homosexual activity is punishable by a jail term there," Navratilova said, referring to the 2022 FIFA World Cup of soccer.

The IOC has said it has received written assurances from the Russian government that the "gay propaganda" law would not affect Games participants and spectators.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in October that everything was being done "so that participants and guests feel comfortable in Sochi, regardless of nationality, race or sexual orientation." However, gay rights activists have reported a rise of violence toward their community sparked by the new law.


'OUTRAGEOUS AND DANGEROUS'

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power met with international gay rights activists on Tuesday and said the Russian law is "as outrageous as it is dangerous".

"And it is a reminder that whether the struggle for equality takes the form of equal employee benefits or protection from being imprisoned or executed, we have a long way to go," Power said.

"We are well into the 21st century and yet some 78 countries still have laws that criminalize consensual sex between adults. In some countries, the sentence for being gay is still the death penalty," she said.

Collins said sporting bodies such as the International Olympic Committee and soccer's governing body, FIFA, should consider carefully the countries and cities with which they link their brands.

"Do you choose to associate with a country or a people or a government that will oppress and put down their own people?" Collins asked. "You should choose to associate with people who stand for the same ideals that you stand for, which should celebrate sport and athletes to be their true selves."

Collins became the first openly gay active player in North America's four major professional sports leagues - the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball - in April.

Navratilova also pointed out that while the United States has made progress on gay rights, there was still work to be done. "In this country, in 29 states, it is legal to fire someone for being gay," she said.

"We have a tendency to point fingers but we need to clean up our own country first. We're heading in the right direction but still have a long way to go." (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Peter Galloway)

Reuters  |  Posted: 12/10/2013 4:07 pm EST