Former Swedish police chief sentenced to prison for rapes

STOCKHOLM - A former Swedish police chief was convicted Friday on several counts of sexual crimes, including rape, and sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison.

Goran Lindberg is guilty of aggravated rape, rape, assault, purchasing sexual favours on 28 occasions, and as an accessory to attempted prostitute procurement, the Sodertorn district court said.

The court ruled that he on two occasions in 2007 raped a 17-year-old girl whom he bought sex from. He also tied and beat her, according to testimony.

The court also ordered him to pay 300,000 kronor ($41,000) in damages to three victims and an additional 700,000 kronor to cover some of the costs for their lawyers.

Attorney Elisabeth Massi Fritz, who represented two of the victims, said the sentence was too mild given the “pain, suffering and degrading treatment” Lindberg’s victims were subjected to.

Lindberg was cleared of one charge that he attempted to buy sex from a 14-year-old girl, which would have constituted statutory rape. The age of consent in Sweden is 15.

The 64-year-old’s arrest in January and the related allegations had shocked the police force and generated much publicity, as Lindberg was an outspoken advocate for gender equality - not least as police chief from 1997 to 2006 in Uppsala county, north of Stockholm.

He often lectured on gender equality and against harassment.

Lindberg only confessed to buying sexual favours when his trial, part of which was held behind closed doors, opened a month ago. But a DNA sample was used to tie him to at least one case of rape.

Uppsala police spokesman Christer Nordstrom said after the sentencing that he felt “deep grief and anger that a well-known former police chief who worked for equality committed these crimes”.