A Swedish court sentenced a 61-year-old man to 4 years in prison for forcing his wife to have sex with more than 120 men and convicted several other defendants.
Foreign news agencies reported on 16 Jun 2026 that a 61-year-old Swedish man, whose name was not disclosed, was sentenced by the Härnösand court on Sweden’s east coast to 4 years and 5 months for coercing and threatening his wife to provide sexual services to over 120 men.
The court found that the man controlled his wife through violent threats and surveillance cameras. He was convicted of multiple charges, including attempted rape, organizing prostitution with severe aggravating factors, assault, and illegal threats and intimidation.
In addition, the court convicted 28 other men for purchasing sexual services.
This case drew international attention and was compared to that of Dominique Pelicot in France, who was found to have drugged his ex-wife Giselle and allowed other men to sexually abuse her for over nine years.
The 61-year-old defendant, from Ångermanland province in Sweden, denied all allegations, claiming he only helped arrange consensual appointments. However, the court agreed with the prosecution, ruling that he "exploited the woman with cruelty."
Prosecutors stated that the defendant began coercing his wife to have sex with men who traveled from across the country to their secluded farm in Kramfors in exchange for payment in 2022. This conduct ended only when she reported to the police in October 2025.
He drugged her, exploited the remote location of their home in eastern Sweden, her limited social network, and installed surveillance cameras in the house, some of which recorded sexual acts, to control her. He also threatened to kill her, douse her with gasoline and set her on fire, and threatened to cut off her fingers.
According to the public broadcaster SVT, the woman was aware of the camera placements and used blind spots to escape and call the police.
The court ruled last Tuesday that the man "persuaded and induced his wife to engage in indecent acts with him, broadcast online, accept more clients purchasing sex, and tried to involve neighbors and clients in sex with her."
The court noted that in many cases these acts occurred through "persistent harassment over a long period and the use of coarse and degrading language." The court also found he initiated and managed most of the prostitution business.
However, the court acquitted him of eight counts of rape because it could not prove the sexual acts were non-consensual, and in one case, it was unclear if any sexual act occurred. The court convicted him on one count of attempted rape but acquitted him of three other charges.
Besides imprisonment, the court ordered the 61-year-old to pay 200,000 Swedish kronor (about 700,000 baht) in damages to the victim.
Although Swedish authorities identified 120 men who purchased sex arranged by the defendant, only 29 were charged in this case.
Most denied the charges, claiming they did not have sex with the woman or did not pay for services. However, the court convicted 28 men for jointly purchasing sex 56 times, sentencing two to imprisonment and the rest to probation or community supervision.
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Source:bbc