– That’s the last thing you believe about a person. It is a terribly disgusting crime, says Maria, who lives in Jönköping County. Maria’s name is actually something else, but out of consideration for her and her family, we are not telling her real name.
Her then-husband was sentenced by the district court to one year and three months in prison, among other things, for watching child pornography and also spreading some of it. A sentence he is now serving.
Before the crimes were discovered, the couple lived an orderly life with children who had moved out. Maria says she thought she knew him and so the arrest came as a complete shock.
“Didn’t know what he did”
The wait for the prosecution, where she would learn the extent of the crimes, was the worst. It took 15 months before she knew exactly what the man was suspected of.
– The fact that he hid so much for so many years was difficult, she says.
The man has admitted that he had child pornographic images on his phone, but has neither been able to admit nor deny exploiting children for sexual posing.
– He just said that it wasn’t meant to be, but I would have liked to know why he did this.
Was exposed to hate
Hate mail and unpleasant text messages poured in at first, she says. Among other things, Maria was asked questions and claims about why she didn’t stop it and she should have discovered it earlier.
– Now I understand what he did when he was up at night, for example. But then there was no thought that he looked at child pornography. That’s the last thing you think about a person you’ve lived with for 24 years, she says.
Watch Maria tell more in the clip above.