An unaccompanied 17-year-old migrant boy is suspected of having raped a much younger girl in the foster family where he was placed. In his defence, he explained during the interrogation that this was perfectly legal in his home country, and no one told him otherwise in Sweden, the newspaper Lokaltidningen reported.
According to the victim, she was forced to have sex with the 17-year-old in April this year. He, in turn, admitted to having sex with her, but argued that he was unaware that this is against the law. Instead, he described it as “something happening between two children”.
“[NN] has admitted the event to some extent but stated that he does not know the laws that apply in the country with regard to sex and cohabitation. Rectors at schools are obliged to inform every single person about the rules that apply to sex and cohabitation in Sweden,” the administrative court said, as quoted by Lokaltidningen.
However, it also transpired that the accused was clearly explained the rules that apply in Sweden to sexual relations at his previous accommodations.
The suspect's legal guardian pointed out that the 17-year-old does well at school. He also described the event as a “one-off” and stressed that taking the boy into special care would destroy his progress. However, the administrative court didn't share this attitude and decided that the 17-year-old should be placed in special care for six months with immediate effect. In due course, he will be prosecuted for rape against children.
The investigation also revealed suspicions that the alleged culprit may in fact be over 20 years old. In this case, the penalty will be longer.
According to Swedish law, the penalty for child rape varies between two and eight years' prison.
