Man denies 2015 rape charge of 89-year-old woman in Denmark

A 50-year-old man pleaded not guilty on Tuesday in Randers District Court to charges of raping an 89-year-old woman in her home near Randers in 2015, Danish broadcaster DR reports.

The defendant admitted knowing the victim’s address, stating he had delivered packages there “five or six times,” but denied any involvement in the assault. He claimed his DNA—found on the woman’s clothing—could have been transferred when he helped her exit a shed on a previous visit.

Prosecutors presented evidence including a 2015 emergency call in which the victim described being grabbed by the throat after opening her door. The woman, who lived alone on a rural property, was allegedly dragged outside and raped under “particularly aggravating circumstances.” She was later moved to a nursing home and died months after the attack.

Police linked the suspect to the crime in 2024 using familial DNA analysis, a method unavailable in 2015. A cheek swab taken during his arrest matched DNA from the crime scene. The defendant has been in pretrial detention for over a year.

During the trial, prosecutors revealed the man had searched online for pornography involving elderly people and rape-themed videos. He dismissed the searches as irrelevant, comparing them to watching horror films: “Just because I watch splatter movies doesn’t mean I go around chopping off heads.”

In addition to rape, he faces four charges of violating personal privacy by allegedly recording individuals in sexual situations—claims he attributed to downloaded content. The court is expected to deliver its verdict on April 27.