Sami Jakobsson acquitted of aiding murder on appeal, Digi Mart USA News (Sweden): Sami Jakobsson is no longer considered guilty of aiding murder, according to his lawyer, Jesper Thurén, who called the decision a very welcome result.
In July, reality personality Sami Jakobsson, 32, was convicted of aiding murder. The district court sentenced him to twelve years in prison for aiding the murder of a 35-year-old man and attempted murder of a 19-year-old man.
“It is a very welcome result,” Thurén said. “We are of course very pleased with the outcome.
The court has followed the defense’s line completely and has listened to the arguments we presented.”
When Thurén reached Jakobsson at the facility, Jakobsson had not yet received the verdict. “He only told me to drop the bomb now,” Thurén said.
When Jakobsson learned he had been acquitted, he said, “Oh damn, how good, thank you so much.”
The Court of Appeal also released Jakobsson from the obligation to pay a fee of one thousand kronor to the crime victims’ fund.
According to the indictment, Jakobsson rented out a residence and a car and arranged food for the perpetrators in connection with the murder and attempted murder. He is also alleged to have equipped the car with sun-shade film and purchased candy, drinks and cleaning supplies that he left at the residence.
The Court of Appeal acquitted Jakobsson and a 26-year-old man because the evidence and the indictment did not establish that they had intent to take part in a murder and attempted murder.
“For liability as an accessory, it is not enough that one’s actions actually furthered the crimes; it is also required that one had intent to further the specific crimes that occurred, in this case serious violent crimes in the form of murder and attempted murder,” said Court of Appeal judge Daniel Thorsell in a press release.
Prosecutor Tobias Lindblom had sought a longer prison sentence for Jakobsson. “The question came down to whether he had intent regarding the acts, and so there is naturally quite a large discrepancy between the longer prison sentence we sought and a full acquittal,” Lindblom said.
Lindblom said he could not say whether prosecutors would take the case to a higher court. “I will start by reading the judgment and seeing how the Court of Appeal reasons, and then we will look at that later,” he said.
