Man found innocent of rape after almost 10 years in jail

Thomas Olsson, the man’s lawyer, said his client would seek compensation.

A Swedish appeal court, on Friday found a 66-year-old man innocent of rape after almost 10 years in jail in Sweden.

He was pronounced innocent of the charge of repeatedly raping his daughter.

The man was believed to have served the longest time in prison in Sweden as a victim of wrongful conviction.

The conviction on the alleged crimes committed between 1983 and 1990 was mainly based on the daughter’s testimony, with no forensic evidence or other witnesses.

The girl was nine years old when the alleged rapes began.

She also alleged she had been cut with a razor blade and burned with cigarettes.

The man, who has always denied the charges, was sentenced in 2003 to a 14-year prison term after the Svea Court of Appeal added four years to his sentence.

He was released in 2012 after serving two-thirds of his sentence.

Doubts were raised about the daughter’s testimony after she alleged she had been subjected to other cases of sexual assault between 2007 and 2009.

A new investigation was launched but could not support the allegations, raising serious doubts about her earlier testimony, the Svea Court of Appeal ruled.

Last year, the Supreme Court ruled that the case could be retried.

Thomas Olsson, the man’s lawyer, said his client would seek compensation.

(Xinhua/NAN)