Lönn: The Media's Spin on the Roma Child Rape Case Is Evil

OPINION • Samnytt recently reported on a 40-year-old Roma man, who spent his time in Sweden collecting deposit bottles with his begging wife, acquitted by the Stockholm District Court after taking the virginity of a 14-year-old girl in a park. The verdict itself is, of course, a severe blow to the victim and her family, and the fact that three politicians could make such a poor decision – an enigma. But what makes the story even worse is the way the mainstream media has spun and reported on the verdict.

The headlines have come one after another since the Stockholm District Court chose to acquit a 40-year-old Romanian citizen of child rape after he took the virginity of a 14-year-old autistic girl in a city park.

What has gone completely unmentioned in the mainstream media’s (TV4, SR, Mitt i) reporting is that the presiding judge at the District Court did not agree with the lay judges on the verdict. It was thus what is known as a lay judge verdict, where the lay judges overruled the judge.

These verdicts are widely known to be overturned in the Court of Appeal, since lay judges rarely base their decisions on legal expertise – rather on their own opinions and beliefs.

Untrained politicians “give their opinions”

The politically appointed lay judges – Charlie Medvedor Hahne (M), Staffan Carlén (unknown), and Ann-Charlotte Olsson (unknown) – did not believe it had been proven that the girl did not want to have sex with the 40-year-old Roma man. They also did not deem it proven that he knew she was under 15 years of age.

Kristersson’s lay judge Hahne (M) was one of those who acquitted the Roma man.

They also argued that the girl should have left or “interrupted what was happening if she was not participating voluntarily.” A macabre statement. The girl has explained in interviews that she was so scared she dared do nothing to get away.

She also said that before the incident, she shook her head when the Roma man pulled down his pants and tried to push him away, but that it wasn’t possible because “he was so big.”

Would a 14-year-old girl want sex with a 40-year-old beggar?

Another question that the court didn’t even discuss is how it could possibly seem likely that a 14-year-old girl would want to lose her virginity to a 40-year-old Roma beggar.

She herself describes the man as about 40-50 years old, “quite worn” and with “a large belly.” He also walked around with a big black garbage bag full of bottles for deposit – what a catch.

The entire verdict is truly rotten through and through – except for the dissenting opinion of the presiding judge.

Stock photo of beggar in Stockholm. Photo: Sigfrid Lundberg

The dissenting opinion hidden by the media

The seemingly wise presiding judge – Katerina Petkovska – did not agree with the decision to acquit the man. She wanted instead to sentence him to three years in prison and lifelong deportation.

In her dissenting opinion, Petkovska stated that the girl had been consistent throughout the investigation about the Roma man having intercourse with her against her will. She also pointed out the obvious: that the girl’s emotionless behavior in interviews is likely a consequence of her autism diagnosis.

She also mentions the fact that the girl cried when she called 112 right after the intercourse – further supporting the prosecution’s case.

It seems more likely that the lay judges’ ignorance about people with neuropsychiatric diagnoses was the reason they let the Roma man go free, rather than a lack of evidence.

The mainstream media’s evil distortion

All of the media outlets reporting on the case avoided, first of all, mentioning that the man is a Romanian citizen and also lacks a Swedish personal identity number. He has no real connection to Sweden, other than that he and his wife come here to collect bottles for deposit.

In addition, they pretend that a united court made the decision to acquit the man – when in reality, it was three politicians overruling an experienced judge. Parts of the lay judges’ reasoning are mentioned – but only as “the court’s.” Nowhere does it show that the presiding judge was dissenting.

And as if that wasn’t enough, the media hasn’t mentioned anything of what the presiding judge raised in her dissenting statement, simply pretending it doesn’t exist. Not only is this directly inappropriate towards the readers – it’s outright evil to the victim.

The 14-year-old girl and her family are surely following the news about the verdict and may form the same impression as the media tries to portray – even though it doesn’t present the full truth.

What’s true, however, is that senior prosecutor Filippa Henkow has appealed the very strange verdict to the Svea Court of Appeal. It’s also the case that similar lay judge verdicts have been struck down in higher courts.

The Court of Appeal must slap the lay judges’ hands

Now we must all hope together that this faulty and directly evil verdict is rejected by the Court of Appeal – otherwise, there is something truly wrong with our justice system.

Left standing, however, is a vulnerable girl and her family, who must again face uncertainty over how yet another court will rule in a case that will probably be the worst experience of the girl’s life.

It would have been much better if the district court had ruled correctly from the start and the family could move on more quickly from all that has happened. When the legacy media refuses to tell the whole truth, readers can always trust that we dare to do so.