Ex-serial killer to stay behind bars: council
Sture Bergwall, known as self-confessed serial killer Thomas Quick who retracted all his confessions, will not be let out of psychiatric care. Bergwall dubbed the decision "Soviet" in its "disregard for justice".
TV4 news reported on Thursday that the National Health and Welfare Board's legal council (Socialstyrelsens rättsliga råd) ruled it was too early to make a judgment about whether Bergvall poses any threat to society if let out of Säter psychiatric hospital in central Sweden.
The eighth and final murder charge against Bergwall was discarded on July 31st, the final nail in the coffin of an extensive justice system scandal in which he confessed to a string of killings that took place between 1994 and 2001. He was convicted of eight murders, but has now been cleared of all charges.
Bergwall, who blogs from inside Säter, expressed his regret over Thursday's verdict and accused the welfare board of not accessing enough information about his case before making its ruling.
"(The council) had the possibility of asking for more information to make its decision, but chose not to," Bergwall blogged. "They then lay bare a total lack of respect for an individual person and for defending justice (rättssäkerhet)."
Bergwall went on to accuse the council of having a "Soviet attitude" to having safe and accountable justice system.
"It's creepy," Bergwall wrote.
"The justice system has, through discarding the verdicts (against me), shown that it can deal with this huge miscarriage of justice," he continued.
"Correctional services' psychiatric care and now the legal council do not have the capacity to do the same. It's horrifying."
TT/The Local/Ann Törnkvist
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TV4 news reported on Thursday that the National Health and Welfare Board's legal council (Socialstyrelsens rättsliga råd) ruled it was too early to make a judgment about whether Bergvall poses any threat to society if let out of Säter psychiatric hospital in central Sweden.
The eighth and final murder charge against Bergwall was discarded on July 31st, the final nail in the coffin of an extensive justice system scandal in which he confessed to a string of killings that took place between 1994 and 2001. He was convicted of eight murders, but has now been cleared of all charges.
Bergwall, who blogs from inside Säter, expressed his regret over Thursday's verdict and accused the welfare board of not accessing enough information about his case before making its ruling.
"(The council) had the possibility of asking for more information to make its decision, but chose not to," Bergwall blogged. "They then lay bare a total lack of respect for an individual person and for defending justice (rättssäkerhet)."
Bergwall went on to accuse the council of having a "Soviet attitude" to having safe and accountable justice system.
"It's creepy," Bergwall wrote.
"The justice system has, through discarding the verdicts (against me), shown that it can deal with this huge miscarriage of justice," he continued.
"Correctional services' psychiatric care and now the legal council do not have the capacity to do the same. It's horrifying."
TT/The Local/Ann Törnkvist
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