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Pre-school employee jailed for child rape

Published: 19 Jan 13 11:48 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/45708/20130119/

A 32-year-old man was on Friday imprisoned for four years and three months for aggravated rape and the sexual assault of a child.

The man has in recent years been employed at several pre-schools in Malmö in southern Sweden, where the attacks are reported to have occurred.

The man stood accused of having assaulted four children, including one charge of having raped a four-year-old girl.

The trial concerned the aggravated rape of the girl and the aggravated sexual assault charges against three others, as well as the assault of a fifth.

The man was convicted on the rape count, but was acquitted on two of the sexual assault charges, while he was convicted on a reduced charge of sexual molestation in one of the cases.

The prosecutor sought a prison term of six years, but the court ruled for a shorter sentence of four years and three months.

"Cases of this nature are always difficult to preside over," the judge Thed Adelswärd said in a written statement.

"In sexual offences cases in general there are often no witnesses or any decisive forensic evidence. Neither was there in this case. The outcome is thus to a great extent determined by how the court deems the injured party's testimony to be."

Adelswärd added that this case was complicated further by the fact that the injured parties were children and that their testimony was presented in the form of taped police interviews.

One of the man's lawyers, Claes Kronström, stated on Friday that there was a "very high likelihood" that the ruling would be appealed.

The 32-year-old has protested his innocence throughout the trial and Kronström pointed to the lack of forensic evidence or witnesses.

"The district court has placed its faith in the children's testimony, it has been a word against word situation. But our position is that the children's testimonies are not sufficient," he said.

The children were awarded a total of 150,000 kronor ($23,000) in damages.

TT/The Local/pvs (news@thelocal.se)

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13:54 January 19, 2013 by Kn33grow
Why not reveal his name? It probably isnt a foreign name
13:57 January 19, 2013 by Migga
Why not kick this criminal back to England?
14:13 January 19, 2013 by Rey Stockholm
@ Migga May well have english citizenship but I bet he is not "english"

How can the court only give 4 years for child rape, castrate him and send him back to wherever he comes from - minus his bits !
15:08 January 19, 2013 by GLO
Sweden Please pretend to have Laws
16:28 January 19, 2013 by Borilla
Four years and three months for rape of a child is unconscionable. Swedish judges, particularly when it comes to allegations of rape, seem to approach both conviction and sentencing with great reluctance even when faced with overwhelming evidence. Dithering about the lack of eye witnesses and forensic evidence in a case where there are multiple offenses and, apparently, a pattern of conduct is simply an invitation for others to engage in the same type of activity. The children will carry the scars long after the perpetrator is back on the street and working in pre-schools again.
22:06 January 19, 2013 by BackpackerKev
Another absolute joke from the Swedish legal system..

I am becoming of the opinion that any sentence is reluctant as i'm sure any criminal is seen to be better off working and paying taxes than in the system costing the government money. Sweden doesn't know the word punishment unless its backed by the USA so that Sweden doesn't bear any responsibility for incarcerating anyone long term.
22:17 January 19, 2013 by john201004
Comment removed by The Local for breach of our terms.
08:03 January 20, 2013 by truthcode
and if I kill a rapist Swedish law gives me 2 years? good deal

a country of insect

larsson

petersson

jonsson

andersson

nilsson

all have the same last name
10:05 January 20, 2013 by krattan
I frown upon the barbaric sentiments displayed in the comments here. I assume public stoning would be the proper sentence if the general public was to decide.
10:27 January 20, 2013 by robban70226
Always about sex, wht a country!!
11:13 January 20, 2013 by Lars Porsenna
Pedophilia is certainly a bad crime against society that needs to be fought.

But I think what needs to be fought too (and which is far more dangerous in my view) is the attitude of ordinary people of taking people that commit this kind of crimes (or are only suspected, it does not matter to them) as scapegoats, invoking death penalty, torture and all those nice things that in different context they attribute to uncivilized countries (and we are not like them, right?).
20:03 January 20, 2013 by Svensksmith
@truthcode

What about those countries where all the men have the same first name?
21:20 January 20, 2013 by Coaxen
People, stop calling to behead him!

In today's PC society it's taboo for a man to come anywhere near a child. Single fathers are often accused of sexual crimes against children for the mere fact that they are men.

Let's not call for anyone's head to be chopped off before we even consider the possibility that the accused might not be guilty.
06:56 January 21, 2013 by Farr
Why do all the idiots comment on everything? Oops - I'm right here, aren't I?

Anyway. Yes If he is actually guilty - chop his head off, but if not, who the hell are you to judge?

The court found no evidence, what could you do but free him? 6 years for no actual proof? hmmmm. pretty harsh.
12:36 January 21, 2013 by The Poetician
Unfortunately paedophilia is a fact in a number of countries..the latest outrageous case being former BBC's Jimmy Savile. When you see all these national TV stations slong with newspapers glorifying sex and nudity and crimes, combined with living in a cold isolationist society where a man can only talk to a woman at a bar after getting drunk, all that leads to dramatic acts like what this guy did..very sad..
13:58 January 21, 2013 by godnatt
Not only will he likely get out in 3 years, but given that this is Sweden he will probably be working with children again lest his rights be violated...

Most naive country in the world.
15:31 January 21, 2013 by storstark
a lot of these comments here are valid... yes, the sentencing in Sweden is very light.... yes, we can't tell from one poorly written article translation (i wasn't at the trial and i doubt the local was either) that this guy was actually guilty... yes, we are a modern society and should not call for heads...

if my little girl came home from dagis and told me that some sicko had raped her i would accept what society deemed as punishment and i wouldn't call for public castration or public beheading or any kind of public vengence... instead i would focus all my energy on ensuring she developed into a bright vivacious and smart person without this afflicting her life...

then, once she was fine, i would hunt this creep down with a well devised plan... because vengence and retribution can never be delivered in a public forum, it should be personal and it should be long, drawn out and above all very very painful
08:50 January 28, 2013 by shady2
Pedophiles, often the victims of pedophiles themselves, are the worst scum on the planet. Their crimes are especially heinous because they infect their victims, permanently damaging them and bring on a lifetime of psychological issues. Pedophiles are never fully rehabilitated, their desires can be suppressed but never go away, so further abuse is inevitable. We owe it to the defenseless children to lock these people away for life, anything else is an absolute joke and a crime against humanity.
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