Dad Accused Of Stabbing To Death Pedophile Who Raped His Daughter

A 34-year-old man in Russia accused of fatally stabbing his longtime friend who allegedly raped his young daughter has been released from police custody after locals expressed their support for the father’s actions.

The man, identified only as Vyacheslav M, was arrested by authorities after the body of his 32-year-old friend, Oleg Sviridov, was found in a woodland near the village of Vintai in Russia's Samara region, Thursday, Metro reported.

Vyacheslav, a factory worker, allegedly discovered footage that showed his 8-year-old daughter being raped by Sviridov on the latter's phone while the two were drinking together, News.com.au reported.

The father then confronted Sviridov, who ran away before he could act, according to the outlet.

Police launched a manhunt for Sviridov after receiving reports of the alleged rapes, but Vyacheslav had managed to track him down first and allegedly stabbed him to death.

The father later turned himself in to police and claimed his friend "ran into his knife during an argument," according to Metro.

Authorities launched an investigation into the clips filmed on Sviridov's phone, which allegedly included sex attacks on other young girls dating back five years. Criminal cases into the alleged sexual abuse of three children filmed on Sviridov's phone were also opened.

Among Sviridov's alleged victims was the daughter of his former live-in partner.

"It never crossed anyone’s mind what he was doing with children," an anonymous friend who had known Sviridov for 15 years was quoted as saying in the reports.

Friends claimed that Sviridov was "constantly" seen hanging around young girls in the village — including Vyacheslav's older daughter, News.com.au said. He also allegedly babysat Vyacheslav's daughter and sexually abused her on multiple occasions.

Authorities decided to free Vyacheslav and place him under house arrest after the father received support for his actions from locals, who believed he was only "protecting" his child from his pedophile friend, according to the News.com.au report.

Additionally, residents claimed Vyacheslav should not face a murder charge over the death.

"He is not a murderer. He protected his daughter and our children too. Everyone is on his side," a villager, who was not named, said.

The case is still being investigated.