Vaasa court upholds severe sentences in Jyväskylä apartment violence case

The Vaasa Court of Appeal has issued a ruling regarding an exceptionally brutal series of violent crimes that took place in an apartment in Jyväskylä. The court described the violence as torturous, aligning with the earlier findings of the district court.

In November of last year, the Central Finland District Court sentenced 30-year-old Jani Ensio Berglund to 12 years in prison for attempted murder, three counts of aggravated rape, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated deprivation of liberty, and illegal threats. The appeal court upheld this sentence but revised the charges against him in only one specific instance involving violence against a male victim, affirming that Berglund was guilty of attempted murder.

The court also sentenced 29-year-old Nitta Carita Skinnari to nine years for attempted murder, aggravated assault, and two instances of aggravated deprivation of liberty. However, charges of aggravated rape and aiding and abetting rape against her were dismissed. The appellate court later reduced Skinnari’s prison sentence from nine years to six and dismissed the attempted murder charge against her, while noting that she was actively involved in helping Berglund in cutting the victim’s finger, categorizing her actions instead as aggravated assault.

The victims, a young male and female in their twenties, endured days of violence from late May to June 2023, primarily occurring at the female defendant’s residence. The female victim was reportedly beaten and cut, with her front teeth broken with pliers. After several days, the defendants lured the male victim to the scene, where he also had a finger severed. The court revealed that both victims were forced to drink until they vomited, and the male perpetrator raped both victims. They were also coerced to inflict violence on each other, with threats of death if they did not comply. One victim suffered life-threatening injuries.