Rape case exceptionally held in open court
Prosecutor demands ten-year custodial term
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The case involving a man who raped a shop assistant in the Helsinki suburb of Malmi began on Tuesday in the Helsinki District Court.
The 32-year-old defendant admitted all charges against him, and the prosecution is calling for a prison sentence of at least 8 to 10 years for aggravated rape, aggravated attempted robbery, and for aggravated false imprisonment of his victim.
The court will hand down its ruling next month, either ordering the man to undergo a psychiatric examination or by passing sentence directly.
The court hearing was exceptional. For the most part it was held in open court, whereas such cases are normally tried in camera and away from the eyes of press and public.
The victim calmly recounted the events to the court and to the assembled media.
The accused acknowledged all the charges and the calls for damages.
The crimes were committed at knifepoint in October of 2010.
The man kept the woman hostage in the shop for three hours and raped her several times.
The man worked as a cleaner in the shop in question. The woman had been left on her own in the store's staff dressing room while she was changing her clothes to go home after the shop closed.
The man had tied the woman up after the first rape, had left her lying on the floor, and had then raped her again.
He also tried to break into the store safe and took money from the cash register.
The prosecution described the crimes as particularly brutal.
The woman said she had feared for her life. In the view of the prosecution, her fears were well-grounded, as the accused had later stated he thanked God that he had not killed the woman.
The man escaped when a security guard arrived on the scene and was caught by police a few hours after the incident.
When apprehended, he had on his person plane tickets out of Finland.
Helsingin Sanomat
