It was during a summer day in 2020 that the 17-year-old managed to escape from the basement and get to the neighbor’s garden. The boy told the neighbor that he had been beaten and kept tied up in the basement of the house for several hours and also threatened, because he was gay.
In September 2022, the father and brother were sentenced in the district court for illegal deprivation of liberty, assault and illegal threats. According to the indictment, the two men allegedly locked the boy in a basement, abused him and, among other things, threatened to cut off his tongue with scissors.
The district court judgment was appealed and now the Court of Appeal’s judgment has come. The sentence means a slightly longer sentence for the father and brother. The Court of Appeal considers that it is clear that the purpose of the crimes was to offend the victim for his sexual orientation and to “preserve and restore the honor of the family or relatives”, i.e. a crime of honor.
However, the brother is not considered guilty of threatening his younger brother.
The father and brother are convicted of unlawful deprivation of liberty and two counts of assault. The father gets two years in prison. The brother is sentenced to prison for one year and eight months.
They both must also pay damages to the boy.