Around half a million Swedes are believed to be exposed to harassment and stalking, according to figures from the Crime Prevention Council.
One of them is Felix Åkerlund, who for four years had his life destroyed by a person who threatened and spread lies about him. His story has now become documentary on SVT
– It’s terrible, you feel powerless in the whole thing. There was great shame in my body, I was ashamed of these claims. I built up a facade and tried to shut everything out, says Felix Åkerlund in Nyhetsmorgon.
Lies about rape
In 2016, Felix’s stalker started spreading rumors that he is a rapist and abuser of women. The stalker also contacted his employer and others in his environment.
Felix had to report to the police three times before it took effect. Now the woman has been sentenced for illegal banishment in both the district court and the court of appeal.
The woman was sentenced to pay 50,000 kroner in damages and to probation – a punishment that should have been significantly higher, says criminology professor Leif GW Persson.
– It is a nightmarish situation. She has ruined his life for an awful lot of years, but she gets probation. It is far too low, says GW in Nyhetsmorgon.
– This is an extremely tangible psychological abuse that she has subjected him to. So there should be good grounds for tougher penalties. Protective supervision, it’s basically just pointing the finger at her, he continues.
Exposed myself
Leif GW Persson believes that the laws regarding stalking will be tightened but that the government is lagging behind.
– This is colossally common. I have had it happen to me on several occasions.
What have you done then, have you reported it to the police?
– No, it’s quite ineffective actually, but I’ve found out who it is of course, it’s not a big match, and then I’ve made sure that it’s stopped that way.
At the same time, the criminology professor urges anyone who has been stalked to report to the police.