Swedish prosecutor appeals acquittal in negligent rape case

The Swedish Prosecution Authority is appealing a court of appeal acquittal in a negligent rape case to the Supreme Court, SVT reports.

A man was initially convicted of negligent rape in a district court after a woman reported in 2022 that he had strangled her during intercourse. The woman had initially consented but withdrew it when the man suddenly took several holds around her neck, according to the Prosecution Authority.

The court of appeal later acquitted the man, stating that it was not proven that the strangulation was forceful or that the woman had clearly signalled her withdrawal of consent.

Prosecutor General Katarina Johansson Welin said in a statement that strangulation can be life-threatening and cannot be considered a natural part of sexual activity. She argued that the man’s failure to ensure the woman’s continued consent to intercourse involving such violence was so culpable that it warranted a conviction for negligent rape, with a sentence of at least ten months in prison.