It was in March 2018 that a cancer patient was treated at the private clinic in Jönköping County. In connection with the treatment, the man suffered from respiratory distress and an ambulance was called. The man was taken to a hospital where he later died.

The prosecutor has said that acupuncture needles have been placed on the man's chest and that one of the needles must have caused a bleeding in the heart sac, which should have caused the man's death. The prosecutor has claimed that the woman was negligent and she was charged with negligence for the death of another, serious crime, which can result in up to six years in prison. In this case, the prosecutor asked for two years in prison.

Denies crime

The woman has denied the crime and during the trial at Jönköping District Court, the defense presented an alternative investigation into what may have caused the man's death. They say the man has been seriously ill with cancer and for several years received acupuncture from the accused woman. According to the defense, the man must have been very weak and in poor condition on the day in question. During the trial, the defense argued that fluid in the pericardium is something that is common in cancer patients and that this can lead to death.

The district court now believes in its liberating judgment that despite the fact that there were stitches on the man's chest, it is not possible to prove that the stitch comes from a needle placed by the acupuncturist.

The forensic statement also addresses that fluid in the heartbeat of cancer patients can occur and it can be a cause of death, but then it is about tissue fluid and not blood as in this case, they write in the statement.