Kenn Egtved faces fine for violating gag order in baby abduction case

Kenn Egtved has been charged with violating a gag order in the case of a kidnapped baby after sharing a photo of the suspect on Facebook with his 25,000 followers.

The 37-year-old man is accused of unlawful deprivation of liberty and attempted rape of a seven-month-old child in Haderslev. A gag order has been imposed to protect his identity.

Egtved posted an image of the suspect outside Hotel Norden in Haderslev on 9 March, where the baby was later found. The photo remained on his profile for about 18 hours before he blurred the man’s face and removed his initials. The post is still visible.

“It will be expensive, but I don’t regret it because I know he’s guilty,” Egtved told DR. “I just think it’s unfortunate that the focus has shifted from what he did to the gag order itself.”

A violation of a gag order carries a fine, and Egtved’s potential penalty may be higher due to the large reach of his post, according to Sten Schaumburg-Müller, a legal scholar at the University of Southern Denmark.

“The more people who see it, the worse it is,” Schaumburg-Müller said.

Egtved acknowledged that gag orders serve a purpose but maintained his belief in the suspect’s guilt.

“I understand the law is meant to protect people, and we can’t just take the law into our own hands,” he said. “But I did it because I’m 100 percent sure he’s guilty.”

Defence lawyer Klaus Ewald emphasised that it is not the public’s role to determine guilt or innocence.

“It’s important that police send the signal that it’s the court in Sønderborg that sets the rules of the game in this case, regardless of the severity of the charges against my client,” Ewald said.

The prosecution will assess cases involving gag order violations once the police investigation is complete.