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Human trafficking pair imprisoned on appeal

TT/Christine Demsteader
TT/Christine Demsteader - [email protected]
Human trafficking pair imprisoned on appeal

In the first case of its kind in Sweden, a Stockholm court has found two men guilty of human trafficking after they lured two teenage boys from their home in Romania to a life of crime.

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The court sentenced the two 25 year olds to 12 months imprisonment at the Svea Court of Appeal (Hovrätten) on Friday.

Evidence was heard that the pair of 16-year old boys left their home country on a promise of work. Instead the minors were forced to carry out crimes.

In order to travel out of Romania with the boys, the older men had persuaded both sets of parents to sign a power of attorney.

The document outlined a visiting address that they were led to believe would be their new home in Sweden but instead turned out to be the address of a Finnish prison.

Chief prosecutor Maria Sterup said she was happy that the court "finally understood that there is something called human trafficking."

Defence lawyer Peter Lindblom, however, said his clients intend to clear their names at Sweden’s Supreme Court.

The defence team claim that no force was involved and rather it was a case of "four mates who decided to go on a roadtrip together and steal."

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