Six Teens of Migrant Background Remanded Over Gang Rape of Minor

MÄRSTA - Six 16-year-old boys with immigrant backgrounds are suspected of jointly raping a minor in Märsta in March. Early on the morning of 3 November, police arrested all six within nine minutes.

All of them deny the allegations, and one has appealed his detention.

The suspected rape took place on 21 March in Märsta, in Sigtuna municipality north of Stockholm. It was more than seven months before police moved in at several addresses across the Stockholm area.

The prosecutor's detention requests, which Samnytt has seen, show that the six teenagers had been ordered arrested in their absence the day before the raids.

The first arrest was carried out at 6.31 am and the last at 6.40 am. District prosecutor Emelie Hammar will not say when the investigation began or why police only acted in November.

One faces an additional charge

On 6 November, Attunda District Court remanded all six in custody on probable cause, suspected of aggravated rape. One of the teenagers is also suspected of aggravated sexual assault on the same occasion.

"I can confirm that six people are remanded on probable cause. The rape is alleged to have taken place in the spring. It is one offence, and it was committed jointly and in concert. Those remanded are all under 18. I will not say anything about the victim," Hammar told TV4.

According to the detention requests, all six have immigrant backgrounds, including Nigeria, Spain and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Some of them have been granted Swedish citizenship on top of citizenship in their countries of origin. Those who hold only Swedish citizenship have roots in Nigeria and the Middle East or North Africa.

Appeal sent to higher court

The prosecutor will not say where in Märsta the alleged assault happened, or whether those involved knew each other beforehand.

One of the 16-year-olds appealed his detention on 9 November. The district court forwarded the appeal to the Svea Court of Appeal the next day. The court has set a deadline of 20 November at 11 am for charges to be filed against all six.

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The victim's counsel, Sara Derakti, also declined to go into detail.

"It is obviously a serious crime, but I can't say much more. Of course I think it's very good that the prosecutor has made progress in the investigation, and now it has to take its course," she told TV4.