Danish Supreme Court increases sentence for sergeant who raped conscript

The Danish Supreme Court has increased the prison sentence for a 44-year-old former senior sergeant convicted of raping a 19-year-old female conscript in 2021, DR reports.

The man, then a senior sergeant in the Royal Life Guards, was initially sentenced to one year and nine months by a high court. The Supreme Court raised this to two years, citing his abuse of age and military rank to obtain intercourse with the young woman.

The incident occurred in a rest room at the Life Guards Barracks on Gothersgade in Copenhagen. The woman remained passive throughout, according to the court’s ruling.

In addition to the prison term, the former sergeant must pay 50,000 kroner in compensation to the victim. He was also convicted of multiple counts of indecent exposure involving other conscripts.

The prosecution had sought a three-year sentence, arguing the rape occurred under intimidating circumstances. The defence, however, had pushed for a reduced sentence, noting the man was not the woman’s direct superior.

The Supreme Court rejected both arguments, ruling the case did not meet the threshold for aggravated rape but was also not a minor offence.