SHARE
COPY LINK

SEX

Ex-police chief case opened as trial begins

A Swedish court has decided to make public most of the police investigation into alleged sex crimes by former police chief Göran Lindberg, whose high profile trial begins on Tuesday.

Lindberg is charged with 23 counts of sex offences, including several against young women, with one girl as young as 14-years-old.

Consequent to the trial, Södertorn District court opened up the investigation to media scrutiny following criticism of the prosecutor’s decision to classify the material. However, certain details will not be revealed in order to protect the identities of the women.

“Confidentiality stipulations have been lifted for the majority of the information. That which remains protected is primarily. That which remains classified is primarily the plaintiffs, their names and other information that could identify them,” said the responsible district court judge Lars Tomth.

The entire investigation comprises 2,700 pages. About 300 pages have been deleted entirely, which include testimonies, psychologist notes, addresses and pictures relating to the plaintiffs.

“There are always difficult decisions to make,” said Tomth. “However, there is a balance between the intense public interest and the considerations of these women. We have taken this position, while the prosecutor is making a different assessment.”

The investigation was last week classified by the prosecutor, Håkan Roswall, but on Monday, the district court was given its chance to rule and elected to overturn the prior decision.

Roswall declined to comment on the district court’s assessment on Monday, news agency TT reported.

The court trial of of the former Uppsala police chief and internationally renowned speaker on equality issues, will open on Tuesday and the case has attracted massive media interest.

Several of the 23 charges faced by Lindberg are crimes characterised by sadism and violence, where women were shackled and beaten before he violated them. He is suspected of aggravated rape of a 17-year-old girl, three rapes and preparation for aggravated child rape and 10 cases of pimping and several cases of buying sex.

Three other men are accused of buying sex and in several cases Lindberg is accused of mediating contact with the women, driving them to the hotel and taking payment for the sexual services rendered.

In a hearing, Lindberg recounted how he decided to meet with a girl in Falun who was 14 at the time. He said that he thought the girl was older, 18 or 19. She thought it was exciting with a mature man, he said, and he thought it was exciting with a young girl.

He is suspected in the case of conspiring to commit the aggravated rape of a child, or preparation of aggravated rape. He denies these allegations.

Lawyer Caroline Reiner is assisting four of the plaintiffs and expressed concern over the confidentiality of her clients after the court decision on Monday.

“I hope that they do not relinquish secrecy in the plaintiff’s testimonies,” she said. “There are many ways to find out who they are. Release the hearings and spread them on the internet so it can, for example, influence the testimonies from those who will be heard from.”

However, lawyer Elisabeth Massi Fritz, who is representing one of the plaintiffs, told TT that the district court’s decision was expected.

“In my 20 years working with sex crimes, I have never encountered a confidentiality classification for an entire investigation,” she said.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

CRIME

IN NUMBERS: Has Sweden’s wave of deadly gang violence peaked?

The number of deadly shootings in Sweden has fallen after hitting a record in 2022, according to the latest annual statistics from the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå). But violent killings continued to rise and more women and youths were victims.

IN NUMBERS: Has Sweden's wave of deadly gang violence peaked?

How bad was 2023 for violent homicide in general? 

With 121 violent homicides recorded, 2023 was the worst year for murder in Sweden since 2020, when 124 people were killed in violent attacks, continuing a rising trend seen since 2021. The number of violent killings was up 4 percent on 2022, when 116 people were killed. 

It’s worth pointing out, however, that this is still lower than the 129 people who died of “murder, manslaughter or violent attack” in Sweden back in 1989,  when the population was nearly 20 percent lower. 

The graph below shows how the number of violent homicides in Sweden rose sharply in about 2014, after which it has seen a gradual but unsteady increase.  

Homicides in Sweden between 2013 and 2023. Source: Brå
 
What about deadly shootings?
 
When it comes to the gang shootings that have dominated headlines in Sweden in recent years, there were signs of improvement, with 53 people shot dead in 2023, down from a record 63 in 2022.  
 
It’s hardly great news though, as 2023 still witnessed the second highest number of deadly shootings ever recorded in Sweden. 
 
The number of fatal stabbings also increased slightly in 2023 to 41 from 35 in 2022. 

 

Deadly shootings, stabbings and other forms of violent murder between 2013 and 2023. Source: Brå
 
Tragically, in 2023, gang criminals in Sweden increasingly began to target the relatives and loved ones of their rivals and also to use minors in their gang wars, leading to a spike in the number of women and youths killed. 
 
Ten more women and nine more people under the age of 18 died in violent attacks in 2023 than in 2022, pushing the number of female victims to 33 and the number of youth victims to 17. 
 
“This year more minors and women have been homicide victims compared with the year before,” Jan Lundbeck, a statistician at the council said in a press release. “This is partly a result of conflicts in criminal circles which had had deadly consequences in which people under the ae of 18 and even women have been affected.” 

Ten of the 33 women killed were in a relationship with their killer, the same number as in 2022. 

SHOW COMMENTS