The Stockholm District Court on 31 July has reached a verdict in a rape-case dating back to the middle of April 2017. It all started when a 15-year-old girl went to a party in a Södermalm apartment in Stockholm. After the party, she stayed the night, keeping her clothes on. She was awakened by muttering, shortly afterwards being attacked by three men who tore her clothes off.
The convicts are the 19-year-old Ali from Somalia, the 19-year-old Christian from Sierra Leone and the 20-year-old Nasir, who is a Swedish citizen. Ali and Christian both came to Sweden when they were 15 years old, both have since received the right to permanently remain in Sweden, Christian in April 2015, Ali in March 2014.
Public Prosecutor Kristin Morén said:
“None of the men had prior relations with her, she met them at the party. I judge this as a rape case because there is more than one perpetrator.“
According to the description given by the prosecutor during the trial, the men acted together and with mutual agreement. They held the girl down, choked her and took turns raping her during the night. The girl shouted “quit!“, “stop!” and “I don’t want to!” She later said it hurt her terribly when she was penetrated, but that the Africans didn’t care. It was only early the next morning that the girl managed to alert her father by means of a text message. Without jacket or shoes, she left the apartment, met with her dad and alerted the police. Shortly thereafter, the three men were arrested.
When searching the apartment, the police found a pair of Christian’s training-trousers, some of Nasir’s and Ali’s underwear, a sweater and a pair of the girl’s trousers. Even a bed cover and a sheet of Christian have been taken as evidence.
All three men deny the rape. According to Kristin Morén:
“They deny they have commited a crime. They have deviating stories about what has happened, but they all mean to say that there has been no rape.“
From a personal survey, made with one of the men by the Swedish parole board, it becomes clear that at least one of them thinks he is completely innocent:
“NN believes the plaintiff made a big mistake by sleeping alone with three guys in an apartment and that everything is her fault.”
Another of the rapists acknowledged that certain sexual acts were performed on the 15-year-old victim, and said that:
“He has a good relationship with his current girlfriend and feels bad about breaking her trust in him.“
Before the trial started, Morén said that, although the penalty for aggravated rape is four year in prison, because all defendants are under 21, they could be eligible for a rebate. The counsellor for the victim, Elisabeth Massi Fritz, said that:
“the evidence looks good, and I will do everything for my client to get relief, support and help when the trial starts on Monday. (…) She has suffered very much from severe trauma and great insecurity.“
The Stockholm District Court found Nasir and Christian guilty of aggravated rape, and sentenced them to three years in prison. Ali has received a penalty of two years for aiding and abating a rape, and a drug related offence. All three will have to pay the girl SEK 165.000 (about €17.277) in damages. The Court, however, rejected the Prosecutor’s demand for Ali and Christian to be deported, citing ‘humanitarian considerations’. Among other things, Christian stated that at home in Africa, he had had:
“a difficult childhood.“
Massi Fritz after the verdict claimed the sentence is a:
“victory for justice. I hope everyone reading this judgment realises that the only right thing to do is to just file a police report. Never give up, and remember that it’s never your fault as a rape victim.“
Nevertheless, she said that:
“I am going to appeal the sentence and the decision on deportation. I do not think they should be allowed to stay in Sweden.“
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