Court upholds sentence for au pair murder
The Court of Appeal has upheld a District Court decision to sentence a 25-year-old man to 11 years in prison for the murder of a Croatian au pair in Gothenburg in April. The man, who is from India, was also found guilty of raping a young woman in a bar toilet in January 2006.
The public prosecutor had argued for the 25-year-old to be sentenced to life imprisonment, while the murderer asked to be placed in institutional care. But the Court of Appeal said it had found no reason to change any part of the District Court's original verdict.
The body of 20-year-old Jelena Ivanisevic was found in the house of a family for whom she worked as an au pair. She had lived at the family's home in the Långedrag district of Gothenburg since moving to Sweden from Croatia. The family was on vacation at the time her body was found.
She is believed to have been killed on Easter Sunday, April 8th, several days before her body was discovered.
The man was a student on the same course at Gothenburg University as Jelena Ivanisevic.
During the trial the 25-year-old said that he and Jelena were a couple and that they planned to move in together, a claim that was rejected by her family and friends.
The murderer repeatedly referred to his poor mental health and said that he did not remember much about what happened. But according to a psychiatric assessment, the 25-year-old was not suffering from a serious psychological condition. Doctors and the court agreed that a more detailed examination was unnecessary.
The court found the man not guilty of attempting to rape or assault two 14-year-old girls.
The man was also told he would be deported and would face a lifetime ban from Sweden.
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The public prosecutor had argued for the 25-year-old to be sentenced to life imprisonment, while the murderer asked to be placed in institutional care. But the Court of Appeal said it had found no reason to change any part of the District Court's original verdict.
The body of 20-year-old Jelena Ivanisevic was found in the house of a family for whom she worked as an au pair. She had lived at the family's home in the Långedrag district of Gothenburg since moving to Sweden from Croatia. The family was on vacation at the time her body was found.
She is believed to have been killed on Easter Sunday, April 8th, several days before her body was discovered.
The man was a student on the same course at Gothenburg University as Jelena Ivanisevic.
During the trial the 25-year-old said that he and Jelena were a couple and that they planned to move in together, a claim that was rejected by her family and friends.
The murderer repeatedly referred to his poor mental health and said that he did not remember much about what happened. But according to a psychiatric assessment, the 25-year-old was not suffering from a serious psychological condition. Doctors and the court agreed that a more detailed examination was unnecessary.
The court found the man not guilty of attempting to rape or assault two 14-year-old girls.
The man was also told he would be deported and would face a lifetime ban from Sweden.
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