Friday: Nine-year sentence in kidnapping trial

Helsinki District Court on Friday sentenced Juha Turunen, who was convicted of kidnapping an heiress of the Herlin industrial dynasty last year, to nine years imprisonment.
      Turunen kidnapped the 26-year-old woman in May last year and kept her confined for more than two weeks. She was let go when her parents paid a ransom of EUR 8 million.
     
Turunen was convicted of hostage-taking, aggravated assault, and aggravated disturbance of domestic peace.
      The prosecution had called for a prison sentence of between 8 and 11 years. The maximum sentence for the crimes in the indictment would have been 13 years.
      Turunen was also ordered to pay the victim damages of EUR 50,000 for mental suffering, and the victims parents another EUR 40,000.
     
The sentence also includes a punishment for aggravated embezzlement and forgery.
      During the investigation into the kidnapping, authorities learned that while he was serving as the trustee of a young boy, Turunen had embezzled EUR 138,000 of the child’s assets.
      Turunen’s former wife had repaid EUR 50,000 of the child’s money, in addition to which Turunen had returned EUR 3,000.
     
We will have more on this story in Monday’s edition.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Kidnapping case: Police retrieve all ransom money (18.6.2009)
  Kidnapping suspect confessed already in first police interrogation (17.6.2009)
  Suspected kidnapper believed to have acted alone (16.6.2009)
  At kidnapping trial, Turunen admits taking hostage (30.9.2009)
  Member of Herlin industrial dynasty held hostage for over two weeks (15.6.2009)