Serial killer's lawyer given all clear

Claes Borgström, the lawyer who represented convicted serial killer Thomas Quick, has been told there will be no investigation into his conduct after reporting himself to the Swedish Bar Association (Advokatsamfundet).

• 'Serial killer' gets retrial for three more murders (1 Feb 13)
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• Swedish 'killer' cleared of Norway murders (24 Sep 12)

Borgström called, in an open letter in the Dagens Nyheter daily on
Wednesday, for an "objective and intellectually honourable" investigation into whether he neglected his responsibilities in his defence of Quick, and thus contributed to his conviction for six murders.

But the association has replied that there will be no disciplinary process and expressed understanding for Borgström's dilemma over claims that he helped the prosecution by withholding evidence.

"There are two important principles to which a lawyer must comply, namely, confidentiality and the duty of loyalty to the client, which has caused his dilemma," said Tomas Nilsson at the association.

Nilsson argued that it is impossible to conduct a disciplinary investigation against Borgström while so much remains up in the air over Quicks convictions.

"A new trial has been granted and more applications are said to be on their way. We don't know how it will end. With the monumental uncertainty, it is not possible to conduct a fair and thorough investigation," said Nilsson.

Thomas Quick, who has since changed his name back to Sture Bergwall, has retracted all previous confessions and is petitioning for retrials in all cases against him.

"It has been said that I am aware of evidence that would have proven that Bergwall was innocent of the murders he confessed to, that I without protest took part in several police interviews in which Bergwall had been heavily sedated and that I, without objection, accepted that police during reconstructions instructed Bergwall how he would find a certain place," said Borgstrom.

The high-profile layer underlined that he does not consider that he has done anything wrong and argued that any lawyer who would make such mistakes should not be permitted to continue in practice.

But the former equality ombudsman explained that it is important for the legal profession and the administration of Swedish justice that the matter is investigated. Borgström furthermore criticised the Swedish media for a lack of objectivity in its reporting of the case.

"The media has done something that a court would never do, namely left out facts that do not support its own theories," he said to news agency TT on Wednesday afternoon.

Thomas Quick was convicted in six different trials for the murders of eight people. During police questioning, he confessed to committing more than 20 murders, which he claimed he committed in Sweden, Norway, and Finland.

The Local reported in April that that charred bones used as evidence in the investigation into the murder of the 9-year-old Norwegian girl Therese Johannessen, were in fact pieces of wood and glue mixed with other synthetic materials.

In December it was reported that Quick had been granted a retrial in the case of the murder of 24-year-old Yenon Levi, an Israeli tourist who was found dead near the side of a deserted forest road in Dalarna in 1988.