When the compulsory care of the three children was lifted this summer, the officials in the municipality said that they were sure that it was right to return the children. Serious shortcomings had emerged in the work of social services around the children.
But the father who got his children back has been suspected of child pornography offenses for years. The same day as Today’s news revealed that the investigation was ongoing, chairman of the social committee Peter Lundberg sent an email to social director Robert Cortinovis.
“Without singling out anyone, you from the social service have said that all police investigations are closed regarding the children previously placed at LVU… It is not okay to miss this type of basis for decisions,” wrote Peter Lundberg (KD), who later left his position as chairman of the social committee.
“I have the same feeling as you. The information we have received is that there are no ongoing investigations,” answered Robert Cortinovis.
“Got too fast”
Cold facts’ review shows, however, that the information about the father’s suspected child pornography crime has been in several internal documents for several years. Cold facts have taken part in the content of investigations into the children.
In the spring of 2020, the municipality received a report of concern from the police. It states that the father is suspected of having distributed documented abuse material. The social service then writes that the police stated the following: “It’s about an image that has been spread. Nothing urgent about the children in the home, according to the police’s assessment”. The children were not taken into care at the time. It took about six months, when the children testified about violence.
The information about the father’s suspected child pornography crime can be found in several of the municipality’s investigations over the years. Even in the latest investigation which is less than a year old. “2020-03-25 An investigation is initiated based on received concerns that the father is suspected of using and spreading child pornography.”, it says there.
– It’s unfortunate. What I feel is that the decision has gone too quickly (to terminate custody of the children). We should have done a more extensive investigation where the children’s perspective was also taken into account, says Robert Cortinovis, head of social affairs in Älvsbyn municipality.
Was never checked by the municipality
The information that all police investigations against the father have been closed has come from the social welfare office. The former head of individual and family care, Harriet Rickman, has previously stated to Kalla facts that they have checked the father’s suspicion register, but that there was nothing registered.
The police tell Kalla facts that they cannot find that the municipality has come in with a request for extracts from the suspect register. The prosecutor, who leads the investigation against the father, states that he has double-checked that the suspicion was registered in the suspicion register. Harriet Rickman has since changed her mind.
“I misunderstood. We never received any excerpts,” writes Harriet Rickman in an email.
About six weeks after the children were returned, the father was arrested for aggravated exploitation of a child for sexual posing, aggravated child pornography offense and aggravated sexual abuse of a child.
– Not checking information like this before returning the children is a betrayal of the children, says Susanna Pettersson, child rights lawyer at Ecpat Sweden.