Therefore, the pedophile case in Ljusdal goes unpunished

The aftermath in Ljusdal after the sexual abuse of nine girls will not lead to a verdict. It can also be difficult with compensation for relatives and victims because the perpetrator is no longer alive.
– You end up in a limbo, says former lawyer Jens Lapidus in Efter fem.

Ljusdal is described as a town in shock after last week’s news that nine girls were sexually assaulted by a former employee at the preschool. Normally, a lawsuit and damages would follow, but in this case, the named man has been dead for some time, and that complicates everything.

In some other countries, there are other systems that allow companies or legal entities to be convicted. But it doesn’t work in Sweden, says author and former lawyer Jens Lapidus and adds:

The only people who can be convicted of crimes in Sweden are flesh and blood people.

This means that when a suspected perpetrator dies, the preliminary investigation is usually closed. That’s how the investigation into the Palm murder ended when Stig Engström, who had been dead for several years, was singled out. And that is also how the legal process surrounding the sexual crimes in Ljusdal ends.

The compensation situation also becomes more difficult

But even though the legal process can no longer be pursued, there is a compensation situation for relatives and the victims. But even that is made more difficult by the fact that the perpetrator is dead and thus cannot pay any compensation.

In order for damages to be paid, you have to prove a crime and then you have to conduct a criminal trial, says Jens Lapidus.

And when there is no one to prosecute, it basically becomes an impossibility. In order to receive damages, a judgment is usually required.

You end up in a limbo that won’t work, says Lapidus.

There are two options

But there are two other options. You can try to get compensation from your insurance company or via the crime victim authority – but then it must be clear that the crimes have been committed.

I hope and believe that the municipality will help, this is a trauma for the whole of Ljusdal. I hope there will be damages, then of course there is nothing that can replace the damage and the trauma this may have entailed, concludes Jens Lapidus.