Two residents of the southern Bulgarian village of Katunitsa have been sentenced to probation for damaging two cars owned by the notorious Rashkovi Roma clan in end-September 2011 amid heightened ethnic tensions.

Under a plea bargain with the prosecuting authority, Vasil Nikolov, a convicted hooligan, will spend one year on probation, while Veselin Nachev will serve six months of probation.

Rashkovi are not seeking a material compensation for the damages estimated at BGN 2400, according to reports of the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR).

The damage inflicted to the two cars of Rashkovi resulted in charges against one other resident of Katunitsa.

The trial against him was postponed by the Asenovgrad Regional Court due to the non-appearance of the lawyer.

The unrest in Katunitsa broke out after 19-year-old Angel Petrov got ran over by a minivan driven by a man linked to Roma clan leader Kiril Rashkov, aka Tsar Kiro, on 23 September 2011.

On the following day, protesting locals and groups of football fans from the nearby Plovdiv set fire to a number of properties of the Rashkovi clan.

The accident heightened ethnic tensions and triggered massive protests in major cities in the country.