– If the district court had considered convicting him of attempted murder, then I don’t think they would have released him, says the man’s defense lawyer Anders Elison.
Most likely, however, the 56-year-old will be sentenced for some kind of crime, says the lawyer.
– He is likely to be sentenced for something, and in such cases it will be a crime of assault, says Anders Elison.
It was during the middle days last year that the woman was allegedly dragged behind a tractor. She was left outside during the night and was found on the morning of December 29 severely hypothermic. The woman is said to have suffered a cardiac arrest and skin had been scraped off her body. She was taken to hospital for treatment and survived.
The man has been in custody since New Year’s Eve. After Wednesday’s hearing, the prosecutor wanted the man to remain in custody due to, among other things, the risk of flight, but the court chose to lift the detention.
– He has been in custody for a very long time, so a large part of the sentence has possibly been served, says Anders Elison.
When charges were brought, aggravated assault was the prosecutor’s alternative plea.
The verdict will come on June 21.