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CRIME

Police hunt would-be child strangler

Police in Trollhättan are hunting a man who attacked and tried to strangle an eight-year-old girl last Sunday, fearing that he might strike again.

The attacked occurred on Sunday July 12th in the Skogshöjden residential area of Trollhättan some time between 7.30pm and 9pm, according to media reports.

The eight-year-old girl, who had been playing with friends, was missing for an hour in nearby woods and police suspect that an unidentified man tried to strangle her.

“Her mother found her shocked with injuries to her face,” Stig Rysén with the Trollhättan police told the Expressen newspaper.

The young girl is also reported to have been missing some of her clothing when she was found. The items of clothing were later found in the woods.

The eight-year-old told police that after becoming separated from her friends she was approached by the man who attacked and attempted to strangle her.

“According to doctors she was near death. We’re convinced that something very serious has happened,” said country police officer Thord Haraldsson.

According to the girl’s mother this is not the first time children have been approached in the area.

“Several months ago a man approached my 10-year-old son, asked him his name and offered him sweets. My son’s 11-year-old cousin was also chased by a man,” Carla Gergi told Expressen

Trollhättan police confirmed that they are aware of the two separate incidents which occurred in April and May.

The neighbourhood is now living in fear of any further incidents while police conduct their investigations into the most recent attack, which has been classified as attempted murder.

“It is very unpleasant. I never let my 8-year-old go alone in the woods,” said local resident Camilla Johansson to the newspaper.

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LANDSLIDE

Swedish authorities: Worker negligence behind motorway landslide

Swedish authorities said on Thursday that worker negligence at a construction site was believed to be behind a landslide that tore apart a motorway in western Sweden in September.

Swedish authorities: Worker negligence behind motorway landslide

The landslide, which struck the E6 highway in Stenungsund, 50 kilometres north of Sweden’s second-largest city Gothenburg, ripped up a petrol station car park, overturned lorries and caved in the roof of a fast food restaurant.

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Prosecutor Daniel Veivo Pettersson said on Thursday he believed “human factors” were behind the landslide as “no natural cause” had been found during the investigation.

He told a press conference the landslide had been triggered by a nearby construction site where too much excavated material had been piled up, putting excessive strain on the ground below. 

“At this stage, we consider it negligent, in this case grossly negligent, to have placed so much excavated material on the site,” Pettersson said.

Pettersson added that three people were suspected of among other things gross negligence and causing bodily harm, adding that the investigation was still ongoing.

The worst-hit area covered around 100 metres by 150 metres, but the landslide affected an area of around 700 metres by 200 metres in total, according to emergency services.

Three people were taken to hospital with minor injuries after the collapse, according to authorities.

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