Young Swede may receive sentence
Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Young Swede may receive sentence reduction in Denmark

· updated

Next week, a 19-year-old Swede will be brought to trial in Denmark. The man is expected to plead guilty and may therefore receive a sentence reduction following a change in the Danish penal code. The case is interesting because it can set the framework for discounts in cases of this nature, says his lawyer Martin Leth.

Advertisement

The 19-year-old is suspected of an explosion in Copenhagen at the end of June. No one was injured, but the damage to a building was extensive.

The Danish police have previously stated that he is expected to confess to the crime and that therefore no charges will be brought in the same way.

According to Leth, the confession may lead to the Swede receiving a lower sentence. On June 15, an adjustment to the penal code, the Danish penal code, was introduced, which includes sentence reduction for early confession during the process.

Protracted legal proceedings

Since then, Danish courts have given discounts to individuals suspected of, for example, drug possession, thereby avoiding protracted legal proceedings.

Leth expects the prosecution to demand at least five years' imprisonment as punishment for the 19-year-old Swede.

I will propose a lower sentence. Then we'll see how much effect the judges think an early confession should have on the sentence. There have been a few verdicts since the change was introduced not so long ago, so it's hard to know right now, he says.

If it goes to higher instances, the case may become precedent-setting.

Charged teenagers

The trial is the first after the wave of violence involving young Swedes in the neighboring country. Last week, two Swedish teenagers were also charged with attempted murder in Denmark.

The country's Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard (S) has previously stated that they have registered 25 instances of mainly young Swedes traveling to Denmark to commit serious crimes.

In this story
AuthorTT News AgencyEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for our readers
Was this useful?

What do you think?

Keep readingmore from Sweden

All