The man is reported to still hold several positions of responsibility within the parish and continues to deny the charges that he repeatedly abused his grandchildren while serving as their baby-sitter, according to the Metro newspaper.
The newspaper writes that neither the local parish council nor the diocese of Stockholm had previously been aware of either the ongoing investigation or the man’s conviction.
“Other things got in the way. In any case I have been convicted despite my denials and intend to appeal,” the man said to the newspaper, by way of explanation for why he had not informed the local church authorities.
The man looked after his grandchildren on a regular weekly basis at his daughter’s home. The man forced his two grandchildren to watch pornographic films and then regularly raped and assaulted them over a three year period.
The assaults ended when the children were aged 10 and six-years-old and came to light only when the eldest began therapy.
The Stockholm district court convicted the man based on the testimony of several witnesses which it deemed to be reliable and trustworthy.
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