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CRIME

Life term sought for Danish submariner over death of journalist

Danish prosecutors on Monday called for a life sentence for submarine builder Peter Madsen who is on trial for the gruesome murder of Swedish journalist Kim Wall aboard his vessel last year, mutilating her corpse and throwing her body parts in the sea.

Life term sought for Danish submariner over death of journalist
Prosecutor Jakob Buch-Jepsen at Copenhagen City Court on April 23rd. Photo: Jens Astrup/Ritzau Scanpix

The verdict is expected at 1pm on Wednesday in the case, which stunned the nation with a submarine as the crime scene and a well-known eccentric figure in Denmark in the dock for the murder of a 30-year-old freelance journalist who wanted to interview him for a story. 

Madsen, 47, is accused of premeditated murder, aggravated sexual assault and desecrating a corpse. He has admitted dismembering her body and tossing the parts into the sea — all of which were recovered — but denies killing Wall.

In the presence of Wall's family, prosecutor Jakob Buch-Jepsen's final arguments, followed by defence lawyer Betina Hald Engmark's pleading, conclude 11 days of hearings at the Copenhagen district court.

Madsen is a “perverse polymorph” with “psychopathic traits” who has a “high risk” of repeating offences, according to psychiatrists.

He “tried to create the perfect crime,” the prosecutor said in his closing remarks, referring to a text message Madsen had sent his girlfriend shortly before.

“There cannot be any doubt about guilt in this case,” Buch-Jepsen said as he called for life imprisonment which in Denmark averages 16 years.

Rejecting defence arguments of a lack of physical evidence against Madsen, the prosecutor urged the court members — a professional judge and two jurors — to use “common sense” and find him guilty.

The accused has provided three conflicting explanations to what happened since Wall disappeared on August 10th last year and his arrest the following day.

Madsen initially claimed he had dropped Wall off on dry land in Copenhagen on the night of August 10th, but he later changed his story, claiming that a heavy hatch door had fallen on her head and killed her.

When an autopsy report later revealed no blunt trauma to Wall's skull, he said she died from toxic fumes that filled the vessel after a sudden drop in pressure while he was up on deck.

The prosecution relied on the autopsy, technical findings on the submarine, and explicit content on Madsen's computer to back up its claim that he murdered Wall as part of a sexual fantasy.

The defence denounced the prosecution's flaws in proving Madsen's motive and the absolute cause of death.

“The prosecution presented a very interesting story. Some would even say a horror story without facts,” Engmark said and called on the court to acquit her client on charges of murder and sexual assault.

“I'm really, really sorry for what happened,” Madsen, given the opportunity to speak for himself for the final time, told the court. 

READ ALSO: Verdict due in trial of Danish inventor accused of journalist's murder

CRIME

Nordic justice ministers meet tech giants on gangs hiring ‘child soldiers’

The justice ministers of Denmark, Sweden and Norway are to meet representatives of the tech giants Google, Meta, Snapchat and TikTok, to discuss how to stop their platforms being used by gang criminals in the region.

Nordic justice ministers meet tech giants on gangs hiring 'child soldiers'

Denmark’s justice minister, Peter Hummelgaard, said in a press release that he hoped to use the meeting on Friday afternoon to discuss how to stop social media and messaging apps being used by gang criminals, who Danish police revealed earlier this year were using them to recruit so-called “child soldiers” to carry out gang killings.  

“We have seen many examples of how the gangs are using social media and encrypted messaging services to plan serious crimes and recruit very young people to do their dirty work,” Hummelgaard said. “My Nordic colleagues and I agree that a common front is needed to get a grip on this problem.”

As well as recruitment, lists have been found spreading on social media detailing the payments on offer for various criminal services.   

Hummelgaard said he would “insist that the tech giants live up to their responsibilities so that their platforms do not act as hotbeds for serious crimes” at the meeting, which will take place at a summit of Nordic justice ministers in Uppsala, Sweden.

In August, Hummelgaard held a meeting in Copenhagen with Sweden’s justice minister, Gunnar Strömmer, at which the two agreed to work harder to tackle cross-border organised crime, which has seen a series of Swedish youth arrested in Denmark after being recruited to carry out hits in the country. 

According to a press release from the Swedish justice ministry, the morning will be spent discussing how to combat the criminal economy and particularly organised crime in ports, with a press release from Finland’s justice ministry adding that the discussion would also touch on the “undue influence on judicial authorities” from organised crime groups. 

The day will end with a round table discussion with Ronald S Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, on how anti-Semitism and hate crimes against Jews can be prevented and fought in the Nordic region. 

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