What the Article on Damage to Property Covers
Article 187 of the Criminal Code of Georgia covers the damaging or destruction of another person’s item when this caused significant damage. This is a property crime that in practice often surfaces against the backdrop of quarrels, family conflicts, vandalism or household disputes. The mandatory element of the article is the consequence — significant damage: if the damage is not significant, the case does not proceed under this criminal norm. The criterion of “significant damage” is not defined numerically in the article itself — it is established by other provisions of the Code, and its assessment in a case rests on a broad body of evidence.
For the accused, the danger of this article lies in the steepness of the ladder: the penalty starts with a fine and rises sharply with the circumstances — the means of commission, repetition and the gravity of the consequence — up to nine to twelve years of imprisonment. That is why the defense in these cases always begins with three questions: what exactly was damaged, to what extent, and who committed the act and how.