Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

RAPE

Rape accusations stun Swedish high school

An employee at a high school near Uppsala, in eastern Sweden, has been detained by police on suspicion of rape and the sexual harassment of some of his students.

Published: 10 February 2012 08:38 CET
Rape accusations stun Swedish high school

“We view this as extremely serious and have brought in extra resources to support students, parents and staff that are affected,” said Håkan Bertilsson, head of the education department of Håbo municipality, to Sveriges Radio (SR).

According to SR, the man has been employed at the school for many years.

Now he has been remanded into custody by police on suspicion of several cases of rape, sexual coercion, and harassment.

The rapes are said to have taken place on several occasions over the course of almost two years, and a source closely connected to the investigation revealed to SR that the case involves several students at the school.

The man has been detained by police since January and the matter has been treated with utmost confidentiality due to the sensitive nature of the case.

Neither police nor prosecutors wanted to divulge the ages or the number of the victims, but prosecutor Annika Bokefors on Thursday filed for the man to remain in custody pending the ongoing investigation.

According to municipal education officials, there had been no earlier indications that any sexual abuse had been taking place at the school.

“It was like a bolt from the blue,” said Bertilsson to SR.

The man, who denies all allegations, has been suspended from his job since November 2011, shortly after the suspicions became known.

Member comments

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

SCHOOL

Bavaria plans 100 million rapid Covid tests to allow all pupils to return to school

In the southern state of Bavaria, schools have been promised 100 million self-tests starting next week so that more children can start being taught in person again. But teachers say the test strategy isn't being implemented properly.

Published: 12 March 2021 17:12 CET
Bavaria plans 100 million rapid Covid tests to allow all pupils to return to school
Children in the classroom in Bavaria. Photo:Matthias Balk/DPA

State leaders Markus Söder said on Friday that the first 11 million of the DIY tests had already arrived and would now be distributed through the state.

“It’s no good in the long run if the testing for the school is outside the school,” Söder told broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) during a visit to a school in Nuremberg.

“Contrary to what has been planned in Berlin, we’ve pre-ordered in Bavaria: for this year we have 100 million tests.”

Bavaria, Germany’s largest state in terms of size, plans to bring all children back into schools starting on Monday.

SEE ALSO: ‘The right thing to do’ – How Germany is reopening its schools

However, high coronavirus case rates mean that these plans have had to be shelved in several regions.

In Nuremberg, the state’s second largest city, primary school children have been sent back into distance learning after just a week back in the classroom.

The city announced on Friday that schools would have to close again after the 7-day incidence rose above 100 per 100,000 inhabitants.

The nearby city of Fürth closed its schools after just two days of classroom time on Wednesday, after the 7-day incidence rose to 135.

The Bavarian test strategy plans for school children to receive one test per week, while teachers have the possibility of taking two tests a week. The testing is not compulsory.

But teachers’ unions in the southern state have warned that the test capacity only exists on paper and have expressed concern that their members will become infected in the workplace.

“Our teachers are afraid of infection,” Almut Wahl, headmistress of a secondary school in Munich, told BR24.

“Officially they are allowed to be tested twice a week, we have already received a letter about this. But the tests are not there.”

BR24 reports that, contrary to promises made by the state government, teachers in many schools have still not been vaccinated, ventilation systems have not been installed in classrooms, and the test infrastructure has not been put in place.

SHOW COMMENTS