A father accused of stabbing his friend to death in Russia should not face a murder charge because the victim allegedly raped his eight-year-old daughter, locals have said.

The man, identified as 34-year-old Vyacheslav M, was held after the body of Oleg Sviridov, 32, was found in woodland near the village of Vintai in Samara on Thursday, September 2.

Local reports say the two men were drinking together after work and eventually fell asleep, before Vyacheslav woke up and began scrolling through the Sviridov’s phone.

He reportedly attacked his friend after seeing a video of him forcing his daughter to perform a sex act.

The victim managed to stumble out of the house, but Vyacheslav is said to have gone after him again the following day finding out he was accused of raping someone else’s daughter in the same village.

He later handed himself in to police saying the dead man ‘ran into his knife during an argument’.

Vyacheslav remains in custody while a murder probe is underway.

Criminal investigations have also been launched into the clips filmed on the victim’s phone. They are said to include sex attacks on other young girls dating back five years.

Villagers and social media users said Vyacheslav should not be charged with murder.

One said: ‘He is not a murderer- he protected his daughter and our children too. Everyone is on his side.’

Prominent TV journalist and former Russian presidential candidate Ksenia Sobchak told her followers: ‘All parents are standing up for the paedophile’s killer.’

Another commenter, Anna Plekhanova, said: ‘If the crime is proven by video facts, then is the girl’s father wrong?

‘Any normal parent, mother or father, would have torn apart such a paedophile right on the spot.

‘Protecting children is the direct responsibility of parents.’

Yulia Salinder added: ‘It’s good that he killed the bastard because our law would have put him in jail for only eight years – or even less – and he would be out again.’

Sviridov’s mother said her son had often been a babysitter for Vyacheslav’s children.

The two men had been long-time friends, she added, saying: ‘I don’t know how it got to this.

‘He must have been drunk. Most likely he was drunk. They left their children with him all the time.

‘When he was baby-sat these girls, he came back home as normal, in a good mood.’

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