Teacher who paid for sex with minor 'can't be fired'

Published: 15 Oct 09 15:20 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/22680/20091015/

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Being found guilty of paying for group sex with a minor is not sufficient grounds for education officials in Stockholm to fire a teacher who has refused to quit following his conviction.

“We don’t want him in the organization. We’re currently leaning toward a settlement involving an undisclosed number of months’ pay,” City of Stockholm human resources director Birgitta Elm told the Metro newspaper.

According to the newspaper, such a settlement could cost the city up to half a million kronor ($72,000).

The school teacher was recently convicted for his role in a high-profile group sex ring in which prominent businessmen and other professionals arranged orgies with girls they recruited over the internet.

Some of the girls involved were younger than 18-years-old.

The teacher was convicted for purchasing sexual services and fined 2,500 kronor. During the trial, he was able to convince the court that he didn’t know one of the girls from whom he purchased sex was 17-years-old, and thus was able to avoid being convicted for a more serious charge.

The man had also arranged one group session in Huddinge, south of Stockholm, but his involvement was not extensive enough for the man to be charged with pimping.

According to the teacher, his “mild” punishment isn’t sufficient to justify that he be fired or asked to resign, a position supported by union representatives.

“Criminality outside of the workplace usually isn’t sufficient cause for firing,” Sofie Rehnström, a legal expert with the Swedish Trade Union Confederation (LO), told the Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) newspaper.

“Consequences also play a role, and the fact that we’re talking about fines also makes it hard to justify firing him. Instead, we’re likely talking about resignation and what grounds there may be for such a move.”

Elm from Stockholm’s human resources department told SvD the city is also looking into having the man reassigned into another division of the city’s administration which doesn’t involve working with children.

“Because of the milder sentence, he doesn’t think a resignation is justified. We accept this but the question then is what it’s going to cost us. What’s clear in any case is that this is a person we don’t want to have in our organization,” she told SvD.

David Landes (david.landes@thelocal.se/+46 8 656 6518)

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15:54 October 15, 2009 by Rick Methven
The only job he should have is a toilet cleaner. Then he would be close to the stuff thats in his head
16:00 October 15, 2009 by mkvgtired
"Because of the milder sentence, he doesn't think a resignation is justified. *We accept this*"

Why would they "accept this"? The bureaucrat must have been one of those male princesses as a kid. You wouldn't want to hurt his feelings by firing him. Also, teaching is his life dream, Sweden should never take that away from him. So he has sold a couple minors as prostitutes, surely that shouldn't bar him from working with them and being employed by a government agency. Maybe he can even steer some of the poor performers (in school) to a life of prostitution. It pays the bills and best of all its tax free!!

Stop screwing with kids minds (and futures). Parents should get to vote on this and then see if he can keep his job. With some of the stories I have read (not just in Sweden but everywhere) I will hate to see what today's kids look like in 25 years.
17:00 October 15, 2009 by maidanac
What a person does in his/her private life is not everyone else's bussiness.

He has all the right to do whatever he wants in his private life, besides one can like it or not, and his private/social activities has nothing to do with his performance as a teacher. I support his position to not reason to get fired from school.

Not the state nor private organizations can get involved nor dictate the private life of people. Basic natural law.
17:27 October 15, 2009 by hilt_m
Wonder if any of you can clear this up for me, the age of consent in sweden is 15, does this mean that if he had not paid for the sex it would have been legal? Just trying to wrap my head around this is all.
17:30 October 15, 2009 by Thebinary1
"if fully have sympathy with all those who rape young girls cos they deserve that. "

Dude ..... are you a rapist sympathiser?
17:40 October 15, 2009 by sherkovic
totally agreed with maidanac....he may act as a male protitute off his school timings that is totally his personal business and no one has right to ask him to quit.

I want this guy to carry on....
18:17 October 15, 2009 by Hauhr
@maidanac and @sherkovic

committing sex offences involving a minor is incompatible with the role of a teacher
19:15 October 15, 2009 by powerofknowledge
A Teacher ?!!!! Minors ??!!!! A teacher !!?

"""'can't be fired' "" " Ooh my God ! why?

""Teacher who paid for sex ((((((minors))))))))!!!????"""'can't be fired' "" "

strange people
19:26 October 15, 2009 by KamiZ
this is sad really. just goes on to show a very big hole in the laws
20:31 October 15, 2009 by Greg in Canada
I wouldn't want this creep teaching my kids.
20:56 October 15, 2009 by Antonito
Regarding Rick Methven s comment:

Rick: I clean toilets. I am not happy with your comments. I would like to forget them. However, despite my will I think that once in my job there will always be something reminding me your name and what you have in your own head.
21:52 October 15, 2009 by totyis
@mo aj

"...this is the thing which europe teaches all people on the name of women rights. if fully have sympathy with all those who rape young girls cos they deserve that".

Yes, here in Europe we should put a whole tent over the women and girls, sell them for 15-20 cows, marry them as young as 9 years old with relatives or "business" partners, beat the crap out of them when they are disobeying the men.
22:52 October 15, 2009 by boppe
Well as the age to have sex in sweden is 15, his not charged for any sex with minors, his only crime is buying sex. as messed up that is it's a huge differense to buy sex or have sex with minors.

His a bad parson anyway but the reason the punishment isent so high is the only crime he commited was buying sex. the whole minor thing unless the girls was under the age of 15 is not right.
00:34 October 16, 2009 by Kaethar
Am I again the only one not seeing the problem here? Legal age for sex in Sweden is 15. A 17 year old is a grown up. The teacher was wrong in paying for sex (since that's illegal) but it was a consenting activity and there was no rape or anything involved. What does his personal life have to do with his job? Should a straight man who teaches 25 year olds not be allowed to have women in class because *shock horror* he might have slept with a 25 year old out of school? That's ridiculous! She was not his student. She was not underage. She gave consent. He was fined because it's illegal to pay for sex in Sweden. Get over it! Omg you people are prudes...
00:47 October 16, 2009 by RoyceD
I believe that being a teacher is not like working in a bank, or the supermarket, or the office. I think that teachers are more than that. In my view teachers are some of the most important members of society. They are certainly undervalued and under payed for what we expect them to be able to do.

It is an extremely critical role of society that currently is left wildly unchecked. We as a society in trust those teachers with the safety of passing on knowledge. These people should be held in very high regard.

But it is because of people like this guy who bring what it is to be a teacher in to disrepute. Where is the guy's honor?

The fault here is not that they can't fire him, it's that he qualified in the first place.
01:18 October 16, 2009 by corsini
Certain professions carry with them hightened standards of conduct. These include teaching (K-12), law enforcement, elected representatives, etc. How do we know he won't try this with some of his pupils?
02:42 October 16, 2009 by Gwrhyr
I agree with Kaethar and Maidanac.

Most of you commenting are total prudes and fell for the shock-value Aftonbladetesque headline.

(I'd personally go even further and say that the law against buying sex is too prudish for a modern society, but that opens up a whole other can of worms).

I can't believe it's 2009 and people still think it makes you a bad person to participate in orgies. We are not living in the Middle Ages, you know. The world is not flat, sex isn't evil.
08:14 October 16, 2009 by jose_s
quiz....1- Morals, 2- School teacher, 3- Sex with minors... which of these does not belong there?
10:04 October 16, 2009 by dstergiou
When i started reading the article / comments, i was so pissed, i was about to write a lot of bad things. Then i read the comment from Kaethar

Unfortunately, Kaethar makes sense

I have some issues with the age/sex limit being at 15, but the law says so, so i will have to accept it

I tried to think of the issue like that: If i was still in Greece, what would have happened?

And the answer is nothing!!!

In Greece, it is perfectly legal to *buy* sex services (it is somehow illegal though to sell them). So, if someone (like the teacher mentioned here) was *buying* sex services from an adult (as the law says), no one could charge him with anything or demand that he is fired

Unfortunately, the problem here lies solely on the parents (and yes i am a parent myself). If a 15 year old girl (adult by law) believes that it is perfectly ok to sell sex as a service, then something is seriously wrong!

If i had to put value on the blame, i would say: Teacher who buys sex services 1%, 15-yrs old girl who sells sex services, 99%
10:18 October 16, 2009 by Nemesis
As far as I am concerned if someone who is an adult (male or female) wants to be a prostitute, then that is there business and they should have the relevnt health checks and pay the relevant taxes, like the rest of us.

What annoys me is a child being a prostitute. I really do have an issue with anyone who uses a child for prostitution and believe it should be stamped out with all possible force. I pesoally would support execution of anyone using a child prostitute regardless of excuse offered, as I consider people like that to be predatory paedophiles.

I don't care what the age of consent is in this matter. To me a 15 year old is exactly that, a 15 year old. If two 15 year olds have sex, I will not be comfortable with that, but it is their business, their bodies and they will have to live with any potential consequences.

However no 15 year old should be in prostitution and no adult should be allowed near a 15 year old prostitute. Only an adult who is a paedophile will even be sexually interested in a 15 year old.
12:36 October 16, 2009 by Rick Methven
The age of consent of 15 only relates to sex between minors. a 15 year old boy who has sex with a 15 year old girl commits no crime. It is however against the law for an adult to have coerce a minor into having sex.

This 'teacher' got away with a lighter sentence quote

The teacher was convicted for purchasing sexual services and fined 2,500 kronor. During the trial, he was able to convince the court that he didn't know one of the girls from whom he purchased sex was 17-years-old, and thus was able to avoid being convicted for a more serious charge.

The judge was conned by this guy who clearly has a taste for young girls.

He likes gang bangs and who knows what other perverted sex acts.

It is not just the fact that he purchased sex but everything else behind it that makes him totally unsuitable to be in charge of children
13:06 October 16, 2009 by Texrusso
If he is fired the city of stockholm will face a law suit and possibly pay compensations which they cannot afford. So it is a very sensitive issue expecially for the fact that the offence is not related to his job. The girl(s) involved are not his students and 17 years old can have sex legally :-). End of story let us move on.....
13:12 October 16, 2009 by Puffin
I think that the title was misleading as the girl was not a minor in terms of under age for sex

He was convicted of buying sex - which is illegal although selling it is not - but the girl was well over the Swedish age of consent of 15. The prosecution attempted to have him convicted for child prostitution charges - but these were thrown out as the girl was 17. There is nothing in the reports that says he knew this girl or taught her - in fact the prosecution could not proove that he knew she was under 18.

Although someone who visits prsotitutes is not a good role model for a teacher - it is hard to see what legal basis they would have for sacking him - possibly for having a criminal record
14:26 October 16, 2009 by peropaco
If a Schmuck is convicted for buying sex; then why doesn't the same rule apply to those guys married to gold diggers? They are doing the same; paying for sex.
16:30 October 16, 2009 by Maax
I know it's fun to jerk your outrage, but there's nothing inherently wrong with two people who have both reached sexual maturity having sex with each other. It may be unwise, or even illegal, depending on where you live.

It's your right to be disgusted, of course, and if you are, I suggest you not look. I bet there are a lot of happily married same-age heterosexual couples in this city who do things in bed you'd rather not think about or watch.

Also: a pedophile is one who desires sex with children. A person whose reproductive apparatus has matured is not, in that sense, a child.

Forcible rape is a crime of assault, and has nothing at all to do with the story here.
17:31 October 16, 2009 by Rick Methven
Leprehcaun,

These comment re rape seem to hark back to the old idea that "there is no such thing as rape because a girl can run faster with her skirt up than a man can with his trousers down."

There seems to be some these Neanderthals lurking in The Local
19:28 October 16, 2009 by Nemesis
@ Leprehaun

Agreed.
20:07 October 16, 2009 by Maax
"since you didn't read all comments, or forget the ones I was talking and thought that I call this rape..."

No, I did read those comments, but they were a hijack, that's why I said they had nothing to do with the story. And it's not that I agree with that guy, not at all, it's that he's an idiot, and some people, it's a waste of time to argue with. He's not going to convince anyone. There are laws about forcible rape, and they aren't going to change to reflect that kind of dipshittery.

As for the actual issue, what do you mean by "wrong, socially speaking"? Do you mean it is widely held, in this society, to be wrong? I'd agree with that, and say that social mores are often not based on much except a desire to look in judgment on people and feel superior to them. How can we be in, if there is no outside (someone said). I'm pretty sure it's normal to desire young sex partners. That would explain why men go through such agony over male pattern baldness, for one thing. Youth and vitality go together, there's nothing strange about desiring it.

I knew someone, about 30 years ago, who was about 40, and introduced me to his 17 year old girlfriend -- they lamented that it was sometimes hard for her to get admitted to clubs when they went out, but sometimes they got in. Three or four years later they were still together and announced they were getting married. Then I heard from someone that the reason they had waited was that now they didn't have to get her parents' permission. So she wasn't 17 in the first place.

Whatever her age when I first saw her, anyone looking at her would have seen a woman. A young woman, sure, but not a little girl playing with dollies. And the guy was not some kind of pervert exploiter, they did get married. People mature at different rates. Reality is irregular and wiggly.

I knew another guy who in his early 30s took up with a woman 10 or 15 years older than he was. I know two other people who have been together for at least 20 years, whose ages are 20 years apart.

Of course the standard model is to mate with someone of the opposite sex and same age as yourself, preferably your high school sweetheart, get married, have kids, and live on a tree-lined street in the 'burbs. But not everyone fits into that model, and not everyone who doesn't is necessarily a creep. Let's accept that there's a lot we don't know about a situation reported in the papers, and not be too quick to judge.
21:42 October 16, 2009 by DamnImmigrant
1. Prostitution is Sweden is legal IF you are doing the selling.

2. Prostitution is ILLEGAL if you are doing the buying.

I think I got this correct.

So what I cannot figure out is - HOW DOES THE SELLER GET PAID?
22:56 October 16, 2009 by Norum
The age of consent is 16 yrs I think, so there is no problem.
04:12 October 17, 2009 by CanadianInSweden
its to easy to see which comments are made by women and those made by men...
08:38 October 17, 2009 by Akhtar Rasool
The only solution to avoid happening this kind of incidents, is to enhance the respect in genders by rational and authentic approach rather than dual mindedness. The private parts should never be exposed in the public.
19:20 October 17, 2009 by Maax
"The private parts should never be exposed in the public."

Right. In fact, it should be illegal to show them to anybody. If you don't trust the person not to call the police, don't show your junk. Choose your doctor very carefully.
01:36 October 18, 2009 by Hagrid
The teacher should be fired, not because he did some horrific crime (the age of consent is 15, so he did not violate this law, he only paid for sex which is illegal) - but since being a teacher entails certain moral responsibilities, and being a role-model for young students. And such behavior clearly does not meet that, he is clearly not fit to be a teacher. How would girls in his class concentrate on studies, knowing he is ogling them?
05:46 October 18, 2009 by artaxerxes
Where does morality come from? If there is no god and no ultimate source for right or wrong why should prostitution and sex be a crime? Separation of church and state dictates that "victimless" crimes should not be province of the state to regulate. What the guy did was completely natural. He had sex. Money was exchanged. There have been studies done on rhesus monkeys and chimpanzees in the wild and it's quite common for female monkeys and apes to exchange food for sex. Humans are simply hairless apes, little different from chimpanzees, and only separated by a few genes.
03:25 October 22, 2009 by Monty Clift
hilt: yes it would be legal since the age of consent is 15. It wouldn't matter if he was 80. But this case seems to be about him hiring a girl as a prostitute and alleged pimping which is illegal in Sweden.
16:18 October 23, 2009 by sterilepromontory
Dear God... Sweden is so hopelessly, pathetically liberal. A beautiful country, the country that gave us Ingmar Bergman, with a worthy tradition of tolerance...but now so mired in political correctness and cultural relativism. I give the country another generation before it becomes a northern outpost of Eurabia.
21:26 November 4, 2009 by estrangero
I cannot believe the BS I've read here. I was upset because my nephew was to marry a former prostitute. They have children together and she is certainly beautiful My wife made me realize that it isn't my business and if a woman wants to engage in that trade to make some money it is all right. Most prostitutes are not grandmothers just as most footballers are not grandfathers it is a young person's game. Most male prostitutes are young too. Bet you could have guessed that one. I don't use the services prostitutes provide myself but I can't condemn those who do. It isn't my business and I also feel such services should be legal everywhere since they are traded everywhere already...for thousands of years. You busybodies would be the same as the ones locally who had a teacher fired because she wasn't married to her man she lived with (for several years). free Sweden
23:21 November 11, 2009 by Authentica
@ Rick Methven

What if the man in the rape case had only an open zipper and not his pants down?
17:24 November 19, 2009 by bjcpc0337
So you can be sent to prison, but not lose your teaching job? How can they work from prison?
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