Court sentences man who forced wife to prostitute herself to more than 100 men in Sweden

Ångermanland District Court, in Härnösand, Sweden, in a photo from March 2026.
Mats Andersson/TT News Agency/AFP
A Swedish court sentenced this Tuesday (16) a 61-year-old man to four years and five months in prison for having "mercilessly exploited" his wife, whom he forced, for three years, to have sexual relations paid for with more of 100 men.
The defendant was found guilty of aggravated pimping, attempted rape, assault, threats and a lesser drug-related crime, the court said in a statement.
"The district court determined that the man introduced his wife into prostitution and managed most of the operation," the statement said.
The Public Prosecutor's Office identified almost 120 men who paid to have sexual relations with the woman.
The case, which shocked Sweden, was compared to that of Frenchwoman Gisèle Pelicot, whose husband was convicted in 2024 of doping her and allowing dozens of men to rape her while she was unconscious.
Prosecutor Ida Annerstedt told AFP at the start of the trial in April that the woman had "a deep fear" of her husband, who threatened her that he would "release the monster" if she disobeyed him.
The trial took place between April 10 and May 26 in a court in Härnösand, northern Sweden, largely behind closed doors.
The prosecutor had requested a sentence of 10 years in prison.
According to the accusation, the man published advertisements on the internet, organized meetings and monitored his wife, who was forced to perform sexual acts, including online, to attract more clients.
The defendant also faced eight charges of rape, but the court rejected them considering that it was not clear whether the woman's participation had been voluntary in seven cases, and in another it was not possible to determine which acts occurred.
Swedish law does not punish people who offer sexual services, but rather the purchase of services or the act of facilitating or taking advantage of the prostitution of others.
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Source: G1