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CRIME

Witness intimidation on the rise at Swedish trials

Threats and attempts to scare off both crime victims as well as witnesses of said crimes have become more common in Sweden, and most victims are young.

From 1999 to 2006, reports of threats in connection with court cases increased by 70 percent.

Since then, the rising trend has continued.

Last year 5,835 police reports were filed, up almost nine percent from 2010’s figure. Roughly half of those reports involve youths between 15 and 25 years old, according to a study conducted by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brottsförebyggande rådet – Brå).

“It’s a threat against the rule of law,” chief prosecutor Jörgen Lindberg of the Swedish Prosecution Authority’s development centre in Malmö told news agency TT, commenting on the growing difficulties in convincing people to reveal what they’ve seen and heard.

According to Brå researcher Johanna Skinnari, attempts to influence witnesses and victims range from violence and threats to more subtle measures, such as wearing a motorcycle gang’s vest in the courtroom, or staring aggressively at the witness.

Apart from the clear connection to criminal youths, threats and violence were common in trials of organized crime and relationship violence.

Skinnari warns that general feeling of discomfort in court cases can lead to self-censorship, stopping potential witnesses from participating.

Nearly all threats against witnesses turn out to be empty, and it is exceptionally rare for witnesses to get hurt.

“It’s important that we shatter this myth that it’s dangerous to testify. Some are just scared because they don’t feel at home in the trial process, and are unfamiliar with the language and the environment, said Skinnari to TT.

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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.

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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.

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