Bulgarian Bank Hostage Holder Sentenced to 15 Years in Jail

Failed bank robber, Stefan Stefanov, is escorted by police to the Sliven courtroom at the end of March 2011. Photo by DarikNews

Stefan Petrov Stefanov, the man who busted in a bank in the Southeastern Bulgarian city of Sliven and held hostages for almost two days back in 2011, has been sentenced to 15 years behind bars.

On March 23, 2011, Stefanov busted into an Investbank branch in Sliven. He took the six bank employees hostages and gradually released them with the last one being held for over 18 hours.

During his failed attempt to rob the bank, Stefanov shot and wounded bank security guard Stancho Stanev.

Stefanov’s sentence was pronounced by the Sliven District Court on Thursday.

“Not a single day passes that I don’t feel regret for my actions,” he told the court.

The wounded security guard had demanded life imprisonment for the assailant.

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