On January 26, the verdict came in the case, which is about a settlement between the two criminal networks Foxtrot and Dalen.
Eleven of the twelve defendants were sentenced to varying degrees. A 24-year-old received 14 years in prison for, among other things, attempted murder and kidnapping.
This week, the trial started against a 23-year-old who is also suspected of participation in the attempted murder. But he traveled abroad afterwards and could only be arrested after the trial against the other suspects in the case had ended.
“Gross miscarriage of justice”
Now the defender of one of the convicts in the case, a 20-year-old from Sundsvall, has submitted an appeal. The 20-year-old was sentenced to five years in prison for kidnapping, serious drug crime and money laundering.
In his submission, the defender, lawyer Ulf Holst, believes that a trial error occurred as he believes that the court sentenced the 20-year-old for kidnapping based on incorrect evidence.
Javascript must be enabled to play video
Three teenage boys travel to Sundsvall where a murder is to be carried out, but they end up being tortured themselves. In the video, you get a summary of the case – in 60 seconds. Photo: Police preliminary investigation
Holst points out that the prosecutors’ description of the crime does not indicate what the purpose of the abduction of the three teenage crime victims would have been.
Thus, “fundamental requisites are missing in relation to the invoked legal space” – that is, the conditions for a conviction for kidnapping are not met, according to lawyer Holst.
“Cannot be cured in the Court of Appeal”
He believes that it is a serious miscarriage of justice. “This cannot be cured in the Court of Appeal, but the case should be referred back to the district court for the necessary review,” writes Holst.
The Court of Appeal for Lower Norrland will now take a position on the matter.
SVT is looking for Ulf Holst for a comment.
Kristina Bratteberg, acting attorney at Sundsvall district court, says she cannot comment on the matter.
– It is inappropriate for us judges to do that, she says.
The prosecutors in the case are also considering appealing parts of the verdict.
“The working hypothesis right now is that it will be appealed, but we haven’t really decided to what extent yet,” writes senior prosecutor Jens Göransson in an email to SVT.