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Border cop convicted after sex bribe attempt

An officer with the Swedish border police in Västra Götaland was convicted Wednesday for offering a female asylum seeker to ”forget about her case” in return for sex and drugs.

Published: 6 October 2011 10:18 CEST
Border cop convicted after sex bribe attempt

”It feels like I have been given the satisfaction of having the court believe in me,” the victimized woman said to local paper Borås Tidning (BT), after the verdict came in.

According to BT, the man had been in trouble as early as 2003 when he was convicted of drunk driving and drug offences.

After a few years on a desk job he was once again reassigned and put in charge of the deportation of asylum-seekers who have had their applications rejected.

In 2010, the woman contacted him to find out whether the flight of her husband, who was due to be deported for life for serious drug offences, could be delayed by a day so that the whole family could say their goodbyes.

The officer reportedly came to Borås to meet the women, groped her and told her that if she could get him some amphetamines through her husband’s connections and sleep with him, he’d move her husband’s case to the bottom of the pile.

Later, dirty calls and text messages started to arrive.

”I am so horny, are you,” the man texted.

The man denied the allegations during the trial but the court ruled in favour of the Borås woman.

”It feels amazing. Considering my family’s background I really didn’t think that I had a chance against a police officer,” said the woman.

The man also stood accused of pressuring another woman from Borås for sexual favours.

Although the court believed him to be guilty of this offence as well, they did not see it as proved beyond reasonable doubt that he had committed a crime against her.

The man, who is in his sixties, had already had his employment terminated following a decision by the National Swedish Police Disciplinary Board (Rikspolisstyrelsens Personalansvarsnämnd) in May 2010.

“We regard this as serious and want him to be dismissed without delay,” said Johnny Calvin, a lawyer at Västra Götaland police, to the TT news agency at the time.

The court on Wednesday convicted the former officer of sexual harassment, conspiracy to drugs offences and dereliction of duty.

He was given a suspended sentence and will have to pay damages of 15,000 kronor ($2,200).

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DRUGS

Germany should make cannabis available at pharmacies not ‘coffee shops’, says FDP boss

Germany's possible new government could well relax the country's strict cannabis laws. But FDP leader Christian Lindner says he doesn't want to go down the Netherlands route.

Published: 18 October 2021 12:50 CEST
A demonstrator smokes a joint at the pro-cannabis Hanfparade in Berlin in August 2021.
A demonstrator smokes a joint at the pro-cannabis Hanfparade in Berlin in August 2021. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Annette Riedl

The Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) are set to engage in coalition talks in a bid to become the next German government.  And the future of cannabis will likely be one of the topics to be thrashed out.

In drug policy, the three parties are not too far apart in their positions. So it’s possible that the drug could be decriminalised.

However, nothing is set in stone and the parties still haven’t come to a common line on the question of where and to what extent cannabis could be accessed. 

The leader of the Liberal FDP, Christian Lindner, has now come out in favour of allowing cannabis products such as hashish to be sold in a controlled manner. 

Consumers should be allowed “to purchase a quantity for their own use, for example, in a pharmacy after health education,” Lindner told a live broadcast on German daily Bild on Sunday.

Lindner said he was sceptical about the sale in “coffee shops” according to the Dutch model. “I am in favour of controlled distribution, and therefore health education must be able to take place,” he said.

READ MORE: Patients in Germany still face hurdles accessing medical marijuana

People in the Netherlands can access cannabis products in coffee shops under the country’s tolerant drugs policy. However coffee shops have to follow certain strict conditions. For instance they are not allowed to sell large quantities to an individual. 

Lindner said his main aims were about “crime and health prevention” and not with “legalising a right to intoxication”.

It’s not clear if Lindner advocates for prescription-only cannabis for medical use, or an over-the-counter model. 

The FDP previously said that they they are in favour of the creation of licensed shops. Their manifesto highlights the health benefits, tax windfalls and reallocation of police resources that legalisation would create.

The Green party also want licensed shops, as well as a whole new approach to drug control starting with the controlled legalisation of marijuana. The Greens state that “strict youth and user protection” would be the centre point of their legislation and hope to “pull the rug from under the black market”.

The SPD also want a reform of Germany’s prohibition stance – but are more cautious than the smaller parties on the legalisation aspect. They would like to initially set up pilot projects. 

READ ALSO: Why Germany could be on the brink of legalising cannabis

Controversial topic

So far, the sale of cannabis is officially banned in Germany. Possession of cannabis is also currently illegal across the entire country. Those caught carrying the substance can face anything from a fine to five years in jail.

However, the justice system generally looks away if you are caught carry small quantities for personal use unless you have a previous conviction.

The definition of personal use differs from state to state, with Berlin having the most liberal rules and Bavaria the tightest.

It is estimated that around four million people regularly use cannabis in Germany.

Representatives of police unions in Germany have warned against legalisation. They argue that cannabis is an often trivialised drug that can lead to considerable health problems and social conflicts, especially among young people.

Oliver Malchow, from the GdP police union, said that “it doesn’t make any sense to legalise another dangerous drug on top of alcohol”.

The current Ministry of Health also continues to oppose the legalisation of cannabis, a spokesperson for Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) made clear. Cannabis is a dangerous substance and therefore legalisation is not advisable, the spokesman said. 

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