Lapland court hands suspended prison sentence to juvenile rapist

At the time, the victim was 13 years old and the perpetrator was 16. Both attended the same school.

Lapland District Court handed a 22-month suspended prison sentence to a 16-year-old found guilty of the rape and sexual assault of a 13-year-old in a school bathroom.

The court also ordered the defendant to carry out 60 hours of community service, pay 21,000 euros in compensation to the victim as well as cover all legal costs.

The compensation was awarded to the victim because of the pain, suffering and mental distress the rape and sexual assault caused, the court noted.

In its ruling, the court said a custodial prison sentence was not handed down in this case because the defendant is a minor — between the ages of 15 and 17 — and had no previous criminal convictions.

The court said compelling legal reasons to impose a custodial prison sentence were not found in the case.

However, during the trial, the court heard the perpetrator had violently assaulted the victim, including by grabbing the child by the throat. The victim also suffered very serious psychological consequences as a result of the attack.

The defendant had denied all the charges.

Attacked during school day

The attack took place in a bathroom at Ainiovaara school, in the town of Ylitornio on the Finnish-Swedish border, in the middle of the school day last December.

At the time, the victim was 13 years old and the perpetrator was 16, and they were both students at the school.

Finland passed a new sex crimes law at the beginning of last year, which states that sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 16 constitutes the rape of a child.

The incident came to light when the victim told school staff.

According to Yle’s information, the defendant in the case was of foreign background and will not return to the school. The defendant will also not be publicly identified because they were a minor at the time the crime was committed.

Related stories from around the North: 

Canada: Nunavut prosecutors reflect on 6 months of dedicated sexual violence team, Eye on the Arctic

Finland: Police response times up to an hour slower in Arctic Finland, Yle News

Sweden: Film exploring racism against Sami wins big at Swedish film awards, Radio Sweden

United States: Lack of village police leads to hiring cops with criminal records in Alaska: Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Public Media