A top Social Democrat in Skåne has been prosecuted for assault following an incident at a Christmas party in December last year. According to the indictment, the politician is alleged to have assaulted a female colleague at an afterparty. The police investigation describes events where the Social Democrat is said to have undressed, exposed her breasts, kissed, and attempted intimacy. When rejected by the colleague, she reportedly launched a violent attack. The politician denies the crime and claims she acted in self-defense. The victim, however, shows extensive injuries, including bruises, wounds, and torn hair. During police questioning, she also described an injury to the anal area.

The indictment and the police investigation protocol, which were submitted to the Helsingborg District Court on June 22, show that 57-year-old Veronicha Pettersson, one of the Social Democrats’ most prominent figures in Perstorp, Skåne, is being prosecuted for assaulting a female colleague in the transport industry, who is in her mid-50s.

In addition to working in the transport sector, Veronicha Pettersson is also a leading Social Democrat politician in Perstorp. She serves as chair of the Culture and Leisure Committee, a member of the Children and Education Committee, and first vice chair of the Municipal Council. Ahead of this fall’s election, Pettersson is also the second name on the Social Democrats’ party list.

The violent assault is alleged to have occurred after Pettersson and her colleague left a staff Christmas party. The two reportedly continued their evening together, first visiting a restaurant in Helsingborg, then a nightclub, before returning to the colleague’s residence in a small town near Helsingborg, where the Social Democrat was offered a place to stay overnight.

The police became aware of the incident after the Social Democratic municipal politician reportedly went to a nearby acquaintance. The friend reacted to her condition and visible injuries, upon which it emerged she claimed to have been involved in a fight at her colleague’s home.

The incident was reported to police by the politician’s friend as a suspected assault, and a police patrol was dispatched to the residence where the woman in her mid-50s was located to secure evidence — and also to try to find the Social Democrat’s glasses, said to have been left behind.

Upon arrival, the police found the woman at home crying and suffering significantly more extensive injuries than the politician. The woman told police she had been violently attacked by Pettersson.

She recounted first trying to cope with the shock after Pettersson, she alleged, had undressed in front of her. She described the fear she felt during the subsequent violence, including her head being slammed into the floor.

According to the indictment, Social Democrat Veronicha Pettersson is suspected of launching a violent attack in the residence during the afterparty. She is accused of, among other things, grabbing the woman’s throat, punching her in the face, pulling her hair, and biting her. She also allegedly destroyed the victim’s mobile phone.

To support the indictment, the prosecutor refers to, among other things, witness interviews, photographs of the woman’s injuries, and a forensic medical report. According to case documents, the victim had bruises and wounds over large parts of her body, including her neck and face. The documentation also includes torn-off hair.

The victim also claims her underwear was torn. After the incident, Pettersson’s bra was reportedly left in the victim’s apartment.

Motive: Intimacy Rejected

During police questioning, the victim said she was surprised by the aggressive attack, which happened without any provocation on her part, but only seconds after she rejected what closely resembled a sexual advance from Veronicha Pettersson. The woman stated she began to suffer a nosebleed, got bruises, and screamed in pain before the violence from the Social Democrat subsided.

– Maybe that was her reaction, that she got angry because I rejected her. Maybe that’s why she hit me, because I rejected her, the victim said in questioning.

The victim further described her shock at the event, saying she had only invited her colleague home to offer her a place to sleep, and that the Social Democrat thanked her by beating her in this manner.

The case documents indicate the victim’s theory is that Social Democrat Veronicha Pettersson was denied sex when she made advances. However, this has not been definitively established as a motive, as the accounts diverge and it is one person’s word against the other’s. At times the victim has played down this as a motive, suggesting there might have been a misunderstanding, while the politician claims she herself is the victim.

The victim provided a detailed account of the Social Democrat’s behavior in the apartment. According to the police interview, the politician, who is listed in official records as having a male partner, is reported to have kissed the victim and said she was kind and beautiful before the violence began.

According to the victim’s testimony, the politician then unbuttoned her blouse and bra, while the victim withdrew and tried to defuse the situation by suggesting they eat breakfast instead.

Torn Underwear: “Don’t Know if She Tried to Satisfy Herself”

The victim in the case told police that the Social Democrat slammed her head into the floor and pulled her hair. During the attack, her nose began to bleed and she got cuts on her face.

When the woman checked her injuries, including what she alleges to be bite marks on her body, she also discovered her tights and underwear had been torn.

“I noticed my underwear were torn, and I don’t know if she tried to satisfy herself sexually. It wasn’t just the underwear but the tights as well,” the victim told police.

The victim also stated that the Social Democrat sat astride her buttocks and calves, pinning her to the floor. She explained that while lying on her stomach, she wondered what Veronicha Pettersson was doing behind her. At the same time, she said, due to fear of what might happen, she wasn’t sure what exactly the politician was doing at that moment.

Afterwards, this was linked to an injury to the victim’s anal area. Police asked her how she thought the anal injury had occurred after the incident.

The woman replied she did not know and that she had never engaged in anything sexual there, making it hard to explain, but the injury happened after the struggle. She initially thought it was a hemorrhoid and bought ointment for it, but the ointment did not help.

Asked if she believes the anal injury happened when the Social Democrat was sitting on her, the woman replied Pettersson tore her underwear and tights and rolled up her dress. She added that logically the injury could have happened then, as the politician spent some time there doing something at her rear.

At the same time, the victim said she did not feel how the injury occurred, as she was badly beaten and traumatized in the moment. She also stated that four months later, she remains saddened by the loss of hair and visible injuries, which she finds unsettling when people look at her.

During questioning, the victim also said the Social Democrat had undressed during the incident. She felt Pettersson wanted her to undress as well, but she neither wanted to nor did she find it desirable.

Afterwards, she says she picked up her phone, at which point she says she was attacked by the politician. The woman states it was only about 20–30 seconds from rejecting intimacy to being assaulted.

“It might be in her head that she had come to some sort of sexual act, but not in my head,” the victim told police.

Social Democrat Remembers Nothing

Veronicha Pettersson, a leading Social Democrat figure in Perstorp municipality, denies the crime and told police she was suddenly attacked without provocation in her colleague’s apartment. According to her version, she was suddenly brought to the ground and acted in self-defense.

Pettersson has also told police she has memory gaps from the evening. In questioning, she repeatedly stated she does not know, does not remember, or lacks recollection of the events because of the shock.

At the same time, she was able to explain that in her view, she struck back in self-defense and described circumstances leading up to the confrontation, as well as discussions the two had during the evening.

Meanwhile, Pettersson’s explanation of the fight in the apartment is not as detailed as the injured woman’s. Pettersson said they spent the night listening to music, dancing, and talking.

Then, according to Pettersson, the alleged victim—who reportedly weighs about 20–30 kilos (44–66 lbs) less than Pettersson—suddenly attacked her.

A comparison of their injuries in the police report shows a wound on the politician’s wrist, while the victim has bruises on her face and body, torn-out hair, and her clothes ripped. The Social Democrat maintains her version and claims she acted in self-defense and denies any crime.

Accused Politician Supported by the Party

The chair of the municipal executive board in Perstorp, Ronny Nilsson (S), has come out in defense of his party colleague, emphasizing that Veronicha Pettersson has not been convicted of any crime.

When asked if Pettersson will keep her political assignments, Nilsson replied the party has yet to take a position on the matter.

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