Young Swedish girls in home invasion horror
Published: 21 Nov 11 11:34 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/37470/20111121/
Two young girls were left locked in a toilet while burglars raided their home in Gothenburg on Monday morning.
- Teen girl admits to Instagram 'slut-shaming' (18 May 13)
- Train delays persist after mystery fire (9 May 13)
- Royal regalia heist shocks Swedish church (4 May 13)
The two girls, who are sisters and both under 15 years of age, were at home alone when the burglars struck. After being locked in together in a bathroom, one of them managed to alert the police on a mobile phone.
When the girl spoke to the police she didn't know whether the perpetrators were still in the house, but when the officers arrived shortly after, the thieves had scarpered. They are currently being sought by police.
According to the officers, one of the girls was ”partly tied up” and had been exposed to some violence but neither had sustained any serious physical injuries.
Police are still not clear on what might have been removed from the house in connection with the burglary or if there was anything specific that the robbers were after. Neither are they aware of any specific threat against the family.
”We can't say anything about the details. It is way too early,” said Gustafsson.
A preliminary investigation has been launched, classifying the offence as attempted aggravated robbery and unlawful imprisonment.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
Riot police 'resorted to racial slurs' in Husby
Police officers on hand during the Husby riot in northern Stockholm stand accused of using racist language towards people on the ground, with one youth worker in the area claiming it is "not the last time" such scenes will occur. READ () »
Man gets payout for not shaking woman's hand
A town in western Sweden has agreed to pay damages to a man who was told he wouldn't be hired if he refused to shake a woman's hand for religious reasons. READ () »
Swedes sweep top French football awards
Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic scooped up France's Ligue 1 player of the year award on Monday, with Sweden's Lotta Schelin taking home the same honour for the top French women's league. READ () »
'Husby is usually a very peaceful place'
In the wake of Sunday's night's unrest in the north Stockholm district of Husby, The Local catches up with the editor of a local newspaper to find out more about what caused residents to take to the streets and how police responded. READ () »
Topless Swedish beach bunny sparks outrage
A caricature of an amply endowed topless woman, which marks the spot on a map for a public beach in western Sweden, has caused at least one mother to see red. READ () »
Pirate Swede in 'biggest ever' hacking trial
Pirate Bay founder Gottfrid Svartholm Warg is on trial once again in Sweden for his role in committing what prosecutors believe may have been the largest data breach in Swedish history. READ () »
Youths burn 100 cars in north Stockholm riots
Youths rioted in northern Stockholm on Sunday night, setting fire to cars and throwing rocks at police, in what is believed to be a protest against the fatal police shooting of a machete-wielding man in the suburb last week. READ () »
Sweden win ice hockey world champs at home
Sweden's ice hockey team won the gold-medal match in the ice hockey World Championships against Switzerland on Sunday night, trouncing the visitors 5-1. READ () »
- 20/05 Riot police 'resorted to racial slurs' in Husby »
- 20/05 'Husby is usually a very peaceful place' »
- 20/05 Man gets payout for not shaking woman's hand »
- 20/05 Pirate Swede in 'biggest ever' hacking trial »
- 20/05 Youths burn 100 cars in north Stockholm riots »
- 19/05 Man held over armed jewellery store robbery »
- 18/05 Three shot in jewellery heist on busy street »
- 18/05 County council admits to buying out 'bomb man' »
- 18/05 Teen girl admits to Instagram 'slut-shaming' »
- 17/05 French oyster lovers to munch on Swedish spats »
More news from Germany at thelocal.de
- 20/05 Unions threaten strike over English at unis »
- 20/05 Brit admits to slaying his children in France »
More news from France at thelocal.fr
More news from Norway at thelocal.no
- 20/05 Grasshopper clinches Swiss Cup football title »
- 20/05 Nadal crushes Federer to win seventh Rome title »
More news from Switzerland at thelocal.ch
In cooperation with DoToday
Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss
"BANG!!!! BANG!!!! BANG!!! In the midst of the Stanley Cup’s Eastern Conference semifinals series, every Bostonian knows it is all about Bruins ice hockey. Oh right. I am in Sweden, home of the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation GOLD Champions. And there is certainly no doubt ice hockey fever has taken over Sweden. A lot of Swedes,..." READ »
- 16/5 08:32 Be British, be sincere and be bold (Brits Mean Business)
- 13/5 22:40 Week 20 matches (Stripes News)
- 19/4 15:47 UK and Sweden sign Defence MOU (The Diplomatic Dispatch)
- 21:20 Shopping online for electronics
- 20:54 Relocation to Stockholm
- 20:41 Taking bills via Autogiro without service
- 20:32 Investment market in Sweden
- 20:16 Salary expectations for managing a busy bar?
- 20:11 Buying property in Stockholm
- 19:56 Posting parcel from Sweden
- 19:36 Short term rental in malmö
- 17:28 Found out I'm pregnant!
- 16:41 Swedish Summer Language Classes in Malmö?
Casa Birgitta in Algarve, Portugal. Reduced price in best location. Private estate on white sand beach. All amenities included. Book here today! edward_george1@hotmail.com
Find products and services that are specifically focused on English speakers living in Sweden!
FULL DETAILS
Individuals & Couples - Stockholm Beth Rogerson PhD - Clinical, Marriage & Family Therapist
Click or call 08-5580 1266 now
Create an account with Banc De Binary, the world’s most reputable binary options firm, and start cashing in today! You can start by practicing with our free $50,000 demo account.
www.bbinary.com
Expat counsellor & talk therapist offers counselling for stress, relationship issues, sexuality, culture adjustment & life coaching. Private & confidential. Stockholm or Skype. Contact me today! 08-559 22 636 or
CLICK HERE
Your comments about this article:
The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.
But there are several oddities here as usual. The girls are locked *in* the bathroom. Pretty funny bathroom then as every one I've ever used only has provision for locking others *out*. Then there's the "partly tied up" business. The thieves must be of the bungling "Home Alone" type. If they started to tie her up before she ended up in the bathroom why not do the obvious thing and check if either girl had a mobile phone with them. As we know every child must have its mobile in utero, or maybe the parents leave a mobile in the bathroom for eventualities such as this.
And throughout there's no mention of the parents. They'd be the ones to know what was missing. All very odd and I have my suspicions as to what went on.
They probably thought the house was empty, paniced and decide they need to lock them away, but because they were or are young girls, they had some heart and did want to tie them up where they would suffer? Plus, perhaps because they were young girls they didn't want to physically search them for mobiles, theif with a heart?
I don't have children of an age where this matters so I'm not clued up on the law here in Sweden. But given the existence of the children's ombudsman I would suspect that the situation is tighter than England. The English child-care charity NSPCC publishes some useful guidelines at http://www.nspcc.org.uk/help-and-advice/for-parents-and-carers/positive-parenting/leaving-children-home-alone/leaving-children-home-alone_wda72908.html might be worth some wayward Swedish parents reading it.
and telling them it could have been worst will just make it worse.
ive no idea of what i would do if someone walked into my house like that and i wouldnt feel safe until they ceased to exist.
this kind of invasion is close to rape and in same cases end up in rape and murder.
ive no pity for whatever bad things come to criminals who do such a thing.
I hold media partly responsible for all robberies, rapes and murders in Sweden because of their protection of criminals. I would rather help a wounded rat than a journalist in trouble.
I was a "latch key kid" from the age of 7! My parents had low paid jobs that had them leaving the house before I walked to school and returning after I was back home. It wasn't from *trust* but simple economic expediency. I guess they grew to trust me because I didn't organise parties and orgies while they were out. I was always home when they returned from work --- even if I had been all over the place visiting friend's who lived in the opposite direction from school. But none of that makes any difference, they were lucky, I was lucky that nothing happened. Had there been an incident (and I lived at the time in a place where a serial child abductor/murderer was operating) they would have been distraught and then prosecuted for abandoning me on a daily basis.
Similarly it matters not that 12 year olds are given training in babysitting. It would be reckless of both sets of parents to allow a *child* that age to look after another child.
Films like the Home Alone franchise have glamorised the lone child at home, forgottten by parents, but living on cunning and wits to defeat criminals.
@skogsbo
It's not that 12 year olds are more mature than adults, it's that those "adults" didn't themselves grow up.
I think the home alone connection is a stretch :) not sure that's what people think...
But really you're not a child psychologist and you have no data to back any of your claims...
@Grokh
Then I am happy you're neither a journalist, judge nor lawmaker :) maybe you would find a place like Burma or Sudan a little more to your taste in justice...
No thanks there is no such thing as justice in any of those places.
and although i speak out of pure hatred towards criminals i am very logical when it comes to the reality of things, i wish they would pay heavily for their crimes but only because of the lack of spine in the Swedish justice system.
No they shouldnt have their hands cut off or anything like that but they should get more than a slap in the wrist and a week in jail.
They have to be taken to trial and sentenced to several years in jail for what they did and could have done considering the situation.
i mean if you break into a bank and dont steal anything and walk away you still get thrown in jail for breaking into a bank.
its not hard to not be a criminal in sweden, so those who do choose that lifestyle should have to pay the consequences.
And you know nothing about me to judge if i would be a good lawmaker or judge.
If you judge people for thinking criminals are stupid and should disappear in the heat of the moment then im glad you are not a judge nor a lawmaker :p
Hej, I am also glad I am not a judge or lawmaker as well :)
But to think "criminals" are stupid in general, is just disingenuous. You clearly seem more rational than I gave you credit for so just contemplate for a moment the idea that 'violence' is no response to 'violence' in terms of fixing the underlying causes.
As you said these events are traumatizing. In some cases they may open up or predispose the victims to future acts of similar violence... meaning some of these victims may at some point, if they do not cope properly and positively with such events, develop a propensity towards aggression themselves... and then your answer would be to "beat them up and put them in a wheelchair for the rest of their lives"?
It is tempting to think of "criminals" as a pure form of existence, void of past and social context, rendering the concept easier to hate. But punishing violent behavior in the same way we condemn it just seems like the kind of Ferris Wheel I don't really want to be on.
As someone wrote here, their behavior was not the worst it could have been, and somehow the fact that there was no violent action towards the girls and such, absolutely has to be taken into consideration as an attenuating factor... otherwise we would be placing the value on material objects and people's physical integrity on the same level.
"you're not a child psychologist ..."
Firstly how do you know that? You have no data to back up that claim.
Second
"and you have no data to back any of your claims..."
What I need to be a child pyschologist to make the claim that I was a latch key kid from age 7 and that my parents left me alone and to get myself to/from school every weekday! And during a period when a child abductor/murderer was operating in the town. Wow, it's no wondered I'm as messed up as I am then.
There are always bad people out there, but they don't hide behind every tree. A responsible parent will teach kids to keep the door shut and locked if there are problems in the immediate area. Your logic would forbid the child from going out to play under any circumstances!
"just contemplate for a moment the idea that 'violence' is no response to 'violence' in terms of fixing the underlying causes"
If anyone injures his neighbor, whatever he has done must be done to him: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he has injured the other, so he is to be injured. Whoever kills an animal must make restitution, but whoever kills a man must be put to death. (Leviticus 24:19-21, New International Version, 1984)
Skadar någon sin näsata, skall man göra med honom som had har gjort: bruten lem
för bruten lem, öga för öga, tand för tand. Samma skada som han had vållat en annan skall tillfogas honom själv. Den som slår ihjäl ett djur skall ersätta det, men den som slår ihjäl en människa skall själv dödas. (Tredje Mosesboken, Biblen 2000)
An ancient tenet that still operates today as the basis for all punititive justice.
@Douglas Garner
Possibily. But in fact I'm after parents clearly understanding the risks they are imposing on their offspring. And in the case of this specific story have asked "where were the parents", as these people are noticably absent from all the press coverage (including Göteborg Posten).
As to bad people hiding behind every tree take a look at this from http://www.thelocal.se/37356/20111115/ some commenters did indeed argue that kids should be locked inside and not allowed out. (You'll also notice that I argued there *against* lock-down.)
"Some people in this forum are forgetting who the victims of this incident are.... yes, those children and their parents, "
I'm not forgetting the victims (the girl's). And yes I do believe that the parents have some culpability here. None of the media reports (not only the one here) make no mention of the parents at all. This was clearly not a 30 minute pop to the shops and even if the children's location were in full view of the parents during their outage let me say two words: Madeline McCann (the 5 year old English girl snatched from her bed while her parents ate dinner at the adjacent restaurant). Parents need to evaluate the risks themselves and not force children to make that determination on the spot.