Swede jailed for pressuring wife into mass prostitution

A Swedish court on Tuesday sentenced a 61-year-old man to over four years in prison for pressuring his wife to have sex with scores of men for money.

The man was convicted of “aggravated pimping”, attempted rape, assault and issuing threats, as well as a minor drug offence, the court said in a statement, noting the actions took place over three years.

“The district court has found that the man was the one who initiated the woman’s entry into prostitution and was also the person who handled most of the operation’s administration,” it said.

It also said the actions were considered aggravated because the “plaintiff was ruthlessly exploited”.

The defendant, jailed for four years and five months, was accused of creating internet adverts and arranging paid meetings between men who answered and his spouse.

The case, in which the prosecutor has said some 120 buyers had been identified, has shocked Sweden.

It has drawn comparisons with France’s Gisele Pelicot, whose husband was convicted in 2024 of drugging her and letting scores of men rape her while unconscious.

“The trial has been long and demanding for the parties and others involved. The publicity has also been perceived by many parties as a particular strain,” judge Johan Ahlberg said.

The husband was ordered to pay 200,000 kronor ($21,000) in damages to the plaintiff.

Prosecutor Ida Annerstedt told AFP at the start of the trial in April that the woman had “a serious fear” of her husband.

– ‘The monster’ –

Annerstedt told the court that the man had warned his wife not to anger him or else “the monster would be released”.

The husband denied the charges in court.

He insisted that while he had been involved in “the plaintiff’s business”, his role had been partly “administrative”, according to his lawyer Martina Michaelsdotter.

Annerstedt, who had sought a 10-year jail term, also charged the man with eight counts of rape but these were dismissed by the court.

It said it was not clear if she had willingly participated in seven incidents, while in another it was not clear what sexual acts had taken place.

Michaelsdotter told AFP the ruling was in “many parts” welcome, “since my client is acquitted of the majority of the charges”.

“He is however convicted despite his denial in other parts,” Michaelsdotter said in a text message, adding they would “naturally have preferred a different outcome.”

She said she would go over the ruling in detail with her client and then decide whether to appeal.

Of the 29 people charged with buying sex, 28 had been convicted, the court said. Two of them had been handed prison sentences, while the rest had been given fines or suspended sentences.