In just under four months with the new law, over 700 insults against public officials have been reported to the police. Among the complainants are many police officers, but also security guards, judges, prison guards and social workers.
When Göteborgs-Posten reviews reports in western Sweden, they include insults such as whore, glass-fucker, hobbit, cop-bastard and idiot. The local newspaper Mitti writes about a man who was reported after saying "police, police, potato pig" to a patrol at Arlanda.
Nine convictions
According to SVT, 27 cases had gone to trial by September 30, with verdicts in twelve. In nine cases with convictions.
Apparently similar events have been assessed differently. A pensioner who called a police officer a "damn police cunt" was acquitted. A teenage boy who called a police officer a "cocksucker" was convicted.
Now comes a first ruling from a higher court - which acquits a woman who was convicted in the district court.
Court of Appeal acquits
It was in July that the woman, in connection with being arrested on suspicion of robbery, allegedly called a police officer a "cocksucker" and "fucked up as a child", writes Nerikes Allehanda.
Insults that "undoubtedly" could have been expected to offend the police officer's self-esteem and dignity, according to Örebro District Court, which convicted the woman. Statements that rather appear to be "expressions of her own anger and frustration" over the situation the woman found herself in, according to Göta Court of Appeal, which acquits.
Both the district court and the court of appeal reject the police officer's claim for damages with reference to the fact that a police officer must expect a certain degree of rudeness.
The new crime of insulting a public official means that anyone who verbally attacks a publicly employed official in connection with the exercise of public authority can be sentenced to a fine or imprisonment for a maximum of six months.
To be liable for punishment, it is required that the act was likely to "offend the official's self-esteem or dignity".
The penalty scale is the same as the existing crime of insult. The purpose is to strengthen the protection of publicly employed officials.
TT has been in contact with Sweden's six courts of appeal. Apart from the case at Göta Court of Appeal, all of them state that the charge of "insulting a public official" does not yield any hits in their systems.
