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| Ekstrom was allowed bail pending appeal (HK Free Press photo) |
A Swedish businessman was sent back to jail Tuesday after he
lost his appeal against his conviction for raping his Nepalese domestic helper.
The Court of Appeal ordered Patrik Tobias Ekstrom returned
to prison as he was out on bail pending his appeal.
Ekstrom was sentenced to seven years in prison in August
2024 after a jury unanimously declared him guilty on one count of rape and one
of buggery of the helper identified only as “X,”, in the incident that
happened inside his bedroom Oct. 27, 2022.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
This was despite his claim that the sexual acts were
consensual, and that the helper had entered his bedroom willingly.
He also denied threatening to kill X if she did not agree to
having sex with him.
In appealing against his sentence, Ekstrom argued through
his lawyer that the trial judge failed to properly instruct the jury about X’s
claim that the employer had “also done this to Mohini”,
referring to his former domestic helper.
This claim could have made the jury think that Ekstrom had raped
both helpers, when in fact, it was mere hearsay, said the defense lawyer.
The lawyer also tried to argue that the judge erred in
admitting as evidence voice messages sent by X to Ekstrom’s wife, who was abroad
at the time, after the rape.
In those messages, not once did X tell her female employer
that she was raped, so the judge should not have allowed them to form part of
the evidence, said the lawyer.
But the appeal judges disagreed, saying those claimed errors did not materially affect the outcome of the case
X told the court that on the day of the incident Ekstrom returned to his Shek O home
looking drunk and forced her into his bedroom, and raped
her.
At the time, Ekstrom’s wife and three children were in
Japan.
In sentencing, Judge Derek Chan cited a psychological report on Ekstrom which said his chances of committing another sexual offence was on “the high end of the moderate risk.”
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