SHARE
COPY LINK

CRIME

Man jailed for kicking mother-in-law to death

A man accused of kicking his mother-in-law to death was acquitted on a murder charge by a Swedish court on Friday, but found guilty of aggravated assault and involuntary manslaughter.

The 38-year-old from Borås, in western Sweden, received a three-year prison sentence for the assault which was, according to prosecutors, the culmination of a prolonged campaign of physical and mental abuse against the woman and her daughter, his former wife.

The man had been attempting to defraud the Borås city council by claiming that he had been working as his mother-in-law’s personal assistant.

He had forced her to falsify time sheets and allegedly coerced his wife into going along with the plan.

However a row broke out, during which the man kicked his mother-in-law in the chest.

She died from subsequent injuries, which included broken ribs and chest bones.

The prosecutor argued that as the man knew he was capable of killing the 60-year-old with such a powerful kick, he should face a murder charge.

Instead he was acquitted of murder and instead convicted of the lesser charges of aggravated assault and involuntary manslaughter.

The outcome of the case was slammed by the chief prosecutor Sven Urban Kvist, who had been pressing for a sentence of at least 10 years.

“I am not satisfied with the sentence. He was only convicted of aggravated assault and it should have been considerably longer than three years,” he told local newspaper Borås Tidning.

In addition to the charge against his mother-in-law, the man was also convicted of assaulting his ex-wife and her sister and was ordered to pay them damages of 180,000 kronor ($26,000).

Member comments

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

LANDSLIDE

Swedish authorities: Worker negligence behind motorway landslide

Swedish authorities said on Thursday that worker negligence at a construction site was believed to be behind a landslide that tore apart a motorway in western Sweden in September.

Swedish authorities: Worker negligence behind motorway landslide

The landslide, which struck the E6 highway in Stenungsund, 50 kilometres north of Sweden’s second-largest city Gothenburg, ripped up a petrol station car park, overturned lorries and caved in the roof of a fast food restaurant.

READ ALSO:

Prosecutor Daniel Veivo Pettersson said on Thursday he believed “human factors” were behind the landslide as “no natural cause” had been found during the investigation.

He told a press conference the landslide had been triggered by a nearby construction site where too much excavated material had been piled up, putting excessive strain on the ground below. 

“At this stage, we consider it negligent, in this case grossly negligent, to have placed so much excavated material on the site,” Pettersson said.

Pettersson added that three people were suspected of among other things gross negligence and causing bodily harm, adding that the investigation was still ongoing.

The worst-hit area covered around 100 metres by 150 metres, but the landslide affected an area of around 700 metres by 200 metres in total, according to emergency services.

Three people were taken to hospital with minor injuries after the collapse, according to authorities.

SHOW COMMENTS