The man, who is in his forties, dialled the emergency number just after the attack in March at an apartment in the southern Swedish town.

His wife sustained life-threatening injuries but survived the attack. Her husband was arrested and charged with attempted murder.

“He wasn’t aware of what he had done,” said district court judge Nikolaj Jeric.

The results of a psychiatric evaluation showed that the man was suffering from a severe psychological disorder both at the time of the examination and the attack on his wife.

Armed with the test results, the court could have ruled to have the man placed in psychiatric care if he was found guilty of the charges against him. Instead, however, the court decided the charges should be dropped after finding that the crime lacked the element of intent outlined in the indictment.

“It’s a very unusual situation,” Jeric told public broadcaster Sveriges Radio.

“It is not legally possible for the district court to prescribe psychiatric care if he hasn’t been found guilty of a crime. In this case, the court has decided the charges should be dropped since he didn’t carry out the deed with intent,” the judge added.

Since the man has been cleared his wife will not now be entitled to any form of compensation.