Sweden edition

Beltran demands retrial in rape case

Published: 18 Oct 09 11:42 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/22728/20091018/

Swedish-Chilean opera singer and convicted rapist Tito Beltran has submitted a petition for a retrial in the Supreme Court. Beltran claims that former justice minister Thomas Bodström's involvement in the case amounted to a breach of the constitution.

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Beltran's legal counsel, Pelle Svensson, argues in the petition that there were several procedural irregularities in the court trial, according to the crimenews.se website.

Svensson argues that it was wrong for a witness, the actor Maria Lundqvist, to collect evidence against the defendant.

He argues that had the court learned of Lundqvist's private surveillance of Beltran then she would not have been permitted as a witness.

Beltran's defence lawyer also strongly criticizes the action of former justice minister Thomas Bodström.

"Here the Supreme Court should consider whether the representative for the government is allowed to participate in an ongoing legal case," Svensson said to crimenews.se.

Bodström is on record as stating that Beltran was guilty before the trial began. The former minister and now celebrity lawyer is accused of misusing his position of power to influence the outcome of the case.

Tito Beltran was convicted in October 2008 on charges of rape and sexually molesting a child. The opera singer was sentenced to two and half years imprisonment.

The case referred to two separate sex offences - the rape of an 18-year-old girl in a hotel in southern Sweden during the Rhapsody in Rock concert tour in 1999, and the sexual molestation of a six-year-old girl in Halland in the beginning of the 2000s.

TT/The Local (news@thelocal.se/08 656 6518)

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18:25 October 18, 2009 by Weird_X

i dunno if thats just me but..

all i ever read about sweden is rape, rape, gang-rape and again rape... your really makin' a name for yourselves!

"13yr old gang-raped in malmö"

"10yr old raped by 15yr old"

"teen girl gang-raped and murdered"

"6% of swedish girls experienced rape"

and so on, and so on... i could continue this list til it reaches my cellar!

sounds like a real nice country to let my kids grow up in, eh?

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08:46 October 19, 2009 by Osokin

6 year olds dude...

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18:32 October 20, 2009 by operareg

There were many things wrong with Beltran's trial and I believe that the verdicts were wrong too. The point about prosecutor Bodstrom is interesting because the defendant in a trial should always be given the presumption of innocence. In France, the former prime minister is accused of slander in the Clearstream trial and President Sarkozy (the plaintiff) said on tv that the 'guilty parties are on trial'. This statement has led to the defence lawyers suing Sarkozy for a breach of Article 6 of the European Convention of Human Rights.

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Beltran demands retrial in rape case

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