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Men get eight years for ‘sadistic’ kidnapping

Two men from western Sweden have been sentenced to eight years each in jail after they forced a man at needlepoint to sign over ownership of a car, a motorbike and a ride-on lawnmower.

Published: 25 March 2008 17:08 CET

The two men, 37 and 40, were found guilty by Varberg District Court of kidnapping, aggravated robbery and interference in a judicial matter, Hallands Nyheter reports.

According to the court, the crimes included “elements of humiliation and, to a certain extent, sadism.”

The victim, 45, was ambushed on his farm outside Varberg early one December morning last year.

He was beaten with a baseball bat and thrown into the cellar of his house. There he was nailed to a work bench and threatened with a pistol and a gas flame.

He was later forced at needlepoint to sign his name to a document handing over ownership of his car, motorbike and lawnmower to his assailants.

Once he had completed this task, his arm was injected with an overdose of heroin.

In its judgment, the court rejected the claims of one of the convicted men that they had come into possession of the goods by legal means.

That the victim “might have cooked up his story because he regretted a voluntary sale […] is in no way probable,” said the court.

Over a thousand people join protest against Stockholm attack

The demonstration, which was organised by the Left Party and the Green Party together with Expo, an anti-extremist magazine, was held outside the Moment theatre, where masked assailants attacked a lecture organised by the two parties on Wednesday.

In the attack, the assailants – described as Nazis by Expo – let off smoke grenades and assaulted several people, three of whom were hospitalised.

“Let’s say it how it is: this was a terror attack and that is something we can never accept,” said Amanda Lind, who is expected to be voted in as the joint leader of the Green Party on Sunday.

She said that those who had attended the lecture had hoped to swap ideas about how to combat racism.

“Instead they had to experience smoke bombs, assault and were forced to think ‘have they got weapons’?. The goal of this attack was to use violence to generate fear and silence people,” she said.

EXPLAINED: What we know about the attack on a Swedish anti-fascist meeting

More than a thousand people gathered to protest the attack on a theatre in Gubbängen, Stockholm. Photo: Oscar Olsson/TT

Nooshi Dadgostar, leader of the Left Party, said that that society needed to stand up against this type of extreme-right violence.

“We’re here today to show that which should be obvious: we will not give up, we will stand up for ourselves, and we shall never be silenced by racist violence,” said said.

Sofia Zwahlen, one of the protesters at the demonstration, told the DN newspaper that it felt positive that so many had turned up to show their opposition to the attacks.

“It feels extremely good that there’s been this reaction, that we are coming together. I’m always a little worried about going to this sort of demonstration. But this feels safe.”

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