Case No B 1834-11
Keywords
Procedural Information
Victims / Plaintiffs in the first instance
Defendants / Respondents in the first instance
Fact Summary
The Court agreed with the Prosecutor that the Defendant 1 and Defendant 2 jointly and in concert, through deception and coercion, recruited, transported and housed three people from Bulgaria. The victims have been exploited for forced labour and their passports were taken from them. The couple had promised that transportation, accommodation and expenses would be free of charge and that they would get well paid for the berry picking.
The berry pickers were beaten by the defendants, partly because one of them ate too much. The berry pickers did not receive any compensation.
The District Court explained that the married couple was from a village in Bulgaria. They had gone to Sweden in previous years to pick berries and early in 2011 they decided to travel here during the berry season. The victims were living in the same area in Bulgaria. Departure from Bulgaria was July 18, 2011 and they came to Sweden sometime during the period of July 21-23, 2011.
After one of the berry pickers ran away in the middle of July 2011, the two others went to the police station in Uppsala where they were referred to the Bulgarian Embassy. The couple was arrested in mid-August.
Charges / Claims / Decisions
Chapter 4, Section 1 a of the Swedish Penal Code (Sw: Brottsbalken (1962:700)).
Unofficial office translation:
Chapter 4, Section 1 a of the Swedish Penal Code - A person who, in other cases than those referred to in Section 1, uses unlawful coercion or deceit, exploits another person’s vulnerable situation or by some other such improper means recruits, transports, harbours, receives a person with the intent that this person shall be exploited for sexual purposes, removal of organs, military service, forced labour or other activities in a situation that implies a situation of distress for the victim, shall be sentenced for trafficking in human beings to imprisonment for at least two years and at most ten years.
A person who commits an act referred to in the first paragraph against a person who is under eighteen years of age shall be sentenced for trafficking in human beings even if none of the improper means described in that paragraph was used.
If an offence referred to in the first or second paragraphs is less serious, the sentence shall be imprisonment for at most four years.
SFS 2010:371
Text in original language (Swedish):
4 kap. 1 a § BrB - Den som, i annat fall än som avses i 1 §, genom olaga tvång, vilseledande, utnyttjande av någons utsatta belägenhet eller med annat sådant otillbörligt medel rekryterar, transporterar, överför, inhyser eller tar emot en person i syfte att han eller hon ska exploateras för sexuella ändamål, avlägsnande av organ, krigstjänst, tvångsarbete eller annan verksamhet i en situation som innebär nödläge för den utsatte, döms för människohandel till fängelse i lägst två och högst tio år.
Den som begår en gärning som avses i första stycket mot en person som inte har fyllt arton år döms för människohandel även om inte något sådant otillbörligt medel som anges där har använts.
Är ett brott som avses i första eller andra stycket mindre grovt, döms till fängelse i högst fyra år. SFS 2010:371
Chapter 3, Section 5 of the Swedish Penal Code (Sw: brottsbalken (1962:700))
Unofficial office translation:
Chapter 3, Section 5 of the Swedish Penal Code - A person who inflicts bodily injury, illness or pain upon another or renders him or her powerless or in a similar helpless state, shall be sentenced for assault to imprisonment for at most two years or, if the crime is petty, to a fine or imprisonment for at most six months.
SFS 1998:393
Text in original language (Swedish):
3 kap. 5 § BrB - Den som tillfogar en annan person kroppsskada, sjukdom eller smärta eller försätter honom eller henne i vanmakt eller något annat sådant tillstånd, döms för misshandel till fängelse i högst två år eller, om brottet är ringa, till böter eller fängelse i högst sex månader.
SFS 1998:393
Chapter 8, Section 8 of the Swedish Penal Code (Sw: brottsbalken (1962:700))
Unofficial office translation:
Chapter 8, Section 8 of the Swedish Penal Code - If a person, in a case other than those specially provided for in this Chapter, unlawfully takes and uses or otherwise appropriates something, a fine or imprisonment for at most six months shall be imposed for unlawful dispossession. The same shall apply to a person who, without any appropriation, by fitting or breaking a lock or by other means unlawfully disturbs another's possession or by violence or threat of violence prevents another from exercising his right to retain or take something.
If the crime is gross, imprisonment for at most two years shall be imposed.
Text in original language (Swedish):
8 Kap. 8 § - Den som, i annat fall än särskilt i detta kapitel omförmäles, olovligen tager och brukar eller eljest tillgriper något, dömes för egenmäktigt förfarande till böter eller fängelse i högst sex månader. Detsamma skall gälla om någon utan tillgrepp, genom att anbringa eller bryta lås eller annorledes, olovligen rubbar annans besittning eller ock med våld eller hot om våld hindrar annan i utövning av rätt att kvarhålla eller taga något.
Är brottet grovt, dömes till fängelse i högst två år.
With regard to the prosecution of human trafficking, the District Court did not consider that sufficient evidence existed. The District Court considered, among other things, that the prosecutor failed to prove that the couple, already in Bulgaria, intended to deceive the berry pickers regarding the compensation.
However, it was proved that Defendant 1 threw a box of berries on one of the berry pickers because he ate too much. According to the District Court, this was to be judged as assault. Further, she had withheld Victim 1’s and Victim 2’s passport, which was to be considered as unlawful dispossession.
Chapter 4, Section 1 a of the Swedish Penal Code (Sw: Brottsbalken (1962:700)).
Unofficial office translation:
Chapter 4, Section 1 a of the Swedish Penal Code - A person who, in other cases than those referred to in Section 1, uses unlawful coercion or deceit, exploits another person’s vulnerable situation or by some other such improper means recruits, transports, harbours, receives a person with the intent that this person shall be exploited for sexual purposes, removal of organs, military service, forced labour or other activities in a situation that implies a situation of distress for the victim, shall be sentenced for trafficking in human beings to imprisonment for at least two years and at most ten years.
A person who commits an act referred to in the first paragraph against a person who is under eighteen years of age shall be sentenced for trafficking in human beings even if none of the improper means described in that paragraph was used.
If an offence referred to in the first or second paragraphs is less serious, the sentence shall be imprisonment for at most four years.
SFS 2010:371
Text in original language (Swedish):
4 kap. 1 a § BrB - Den som, i annat fall än som avses i 1 §, genom olaga tvång, vilseledande, utnyttjande av någons utsatta belägenhet eller med annat sådant otillbörligt medel rekryterar, transporterar, överför, inhyser eller tar emot en person i syfte att han eller hon ska exploateras för sexuella ändamål, avlägsnande av organ, krigstjänst, tvångsarbete eller annan verksamhet i en situation som innebär nödläge för den utsatte, döms för människohandel till fängelse i lägst två och högst tio år.
Den som begår en gärning som avses i första stycket mot en person som inte har fyllt arton år döms för människohandel även om inte något sådant otillbörligt medel som anges där har använts.
Är ett brott som avses i första eller andra stycket mindre grovt, döms till fängelse i högst fyra år. SFS 2010:371
With regard to the prosecution of human trafficking, the District Court did not consider that sufficient evidence existed. The District Court considered, inter alia, that the prosecutor failed to prove that the couple, already in Bulgaria, intended to deceive berry pickers on compensation.
However, The District Court found that it was proven that Victim 2 had been forced to run after a car with a rope tied around his neck. Victim 2 did not suffer any injuries from the incident but according to the District Court, it was to be judged as attempted assault.
Sources / Citations
Case No B 1834-11
Commentary and Significant Features
The District Court stated that human trafficking involves three main elements. The first element is the action for the implementation of trafficking. This includes the recruitment and transportation of people, both within a country and from one country to another. To transfer people, who are subject of trafficking, between recruiters and agents is also included. The second element is the "use of improper means" to get the victims to submit to or abide. For example, recruitment can be done in various ways. Most often it is a question of women, and they are often taken away against their will. They can also be deceived into believing that there is a matter of a regular job with relatively good conditions. Common to each of these situations is that the victim's vulnerable situation often is used in one way or another.
The third element is "the purpose of the trafficking." The procedure always aims to some sort of abuse of the victim. A common example is the use of people for sexual purposes. Trafficking can also be carried out for the use of another person's labor.
Trafficking was not proved
With regard to the prosecution of human trafficking, the District Court did not consider that sufficient evidence existed. The District Court considered, inter alia, that the prosecutor failed to prove that the couple, already in Bulgaria, intended to deceive berry pickers on compensation.
However, it is proved that the Defendant 1 threw a box of berries on one of the berry pickers because he ate too much. According to the district court, this is to be judged as assault.
The District Court also found that it was proven that the Victim 2 had been forced to run after a car with a rope tied around his neck. Victim 2 did not suffer any injuries from the incident but according to the District Court, it was to be judged as attempted assault.
The District Court sentenced the spouses to three months imprisonment each.