A 61-year-old Swedish man has gone on trial, accused of coercing his wife into providing sexual services to more than 120 men. Prosecutors allege that he used the remoteness of their farm near Kramfors in northern Sweden, along with surveillance cameras and drugs, to force her into sexual acts with men he had found online.
The defendant denies any wrongdoing and claims the encounters were consensual, stating he merely helped organize them. However, prosecutors will seek to demonstrate in court that he exploited the woman's limited social network and their secluded home to exert control, and that he plied her with drugs to push her limits.
The trial began in Härnösand on Friday, with the defendant reportedly remaining completely still as the charges were read out. The court then moved into a closed session to protect the identity of the alleged victim, who has not been identified and has since divorced her husband. The former husband has also not been named, save for his age.
Prosecutor Ida Annerstedt told Swedish daily Expressen before the trial that the now-former husband had "exploited her particularly vulnerable situation" and "fear of him" to normalize his coercive behavior. According to the indictment, he threatened to kill his wife, pour petrol on her, burn her, and cut off her fingers.
Swedish authorities have identified 120 men in connection with the case, but so far only 28 have been charged. Most are said to have denied the allegations, claiming they either did not have sex with the woman or did not pay for it. Prosecutors intend to use online chats, payments, and calendar entries as evidence.
Defense lawyer Martina Michaelsdotter Olsson told SVT as the trial began that her client did not recognize "the same picture as the one the prosecutor presents." The trial is due to last 14 days. This case has drawn international attention and is being compared by some to that of Frenchman Dominique Pelicot, who was found to have drugged and allowed other men to rape his then-wife Gisèle over a period of nine years.
Source: www.bbc.com