The prosecution had sought a life sentence for the suspect in the Helsingborg murder that took place in June 2010.

“Life in prison should be considered. It is the matter of a murder in which the course of events were lengthy and must have caused the victim suffering,” deputy chief prosecutor Anna Håkansson said in her closing comments.

The man was charged in December 2010 for the murder, during which he beat the victim to death with a meat cleaver in a Helsingborg apartment, then cut off his penis and stuffed it down his throat.

Helsingborg district court observed that the crime was extremely cruel, but decided on 18 years in prison, while referring to the brutality of the murder in delivering its verdict.

The medical examiner wrote in his report that “the location of the man’s penis in the throat was the last thing that may have occurred” while the victim was still alive.

In addition to the prison sentence, the man was also ordered to pay significant damages to the victim’s relatives.

The defendant’s lawyer expressed no surprise at the court’s verdict and sentence.

“This came as no surprise. The district court has already previously taken the position that he was guilty, now it was the issue of intent and in view of the classification of murder, I have nothing to say about the penalty’s value,” said the man’s lawyer Lars Kruse.

A decision has not yet been taken on whether to appeal the verdict.

“My client gets to decide that, it is his choice,” said Kruse.

The murderer and the victim had known each other in passing previously and had partied together the day before. According to the murder suspect, a debt between the two men gnawed away at him.

The man duly went to the victim’s apartment with a bag carrying a meat cleaver, awl and knife accompanied by a 27-year-old man who had promised to keep watch at the door.

An autopsy report revealed the victim had sustained over 100 injuries when he was brutally beaten on the living room floor.

The 27-year-old was on Friday sentenced to two years by the Helsingborg court for being an accessory to aggravated assault, manslaughter and theft.