- It is a unique judgment where a man had a girl as a personal slave, says police Per Björkman to TT.

The 36-year-old man got in touch with the girl in Romania. He went there and took her to Sweden with the help of promises and threats. The girl arrived in September 2019. But life in Sweden was not what she believed.

Most of the time, she got trapped in a disabled toilet in a room at Hisingen in Gothenburg. She had to take care of household chores for the man and was sexually exploited by him. She was constantly subjected to abuse when, among other things, the man cut her with a knife, scratched her with a screwdriver and hit her with a cable.

Intent to sell

"We do not rule out the idea that he intended to sell her to other men," says Per Björkman at the regional section against international and serious organized crime.

But a battering was observed by some neighbors who alerted the police. And then everything could be rolled up.

"It is an incredibly serious crime and a wide collaboration between many actors is required to successfully stop this type of criminals," says Per Björkman.

Expelled from the country

The man was recently sentenced by the Gothenburg District Court to six years in prison for human trafficking, serious rape, illegal threats, fraud and abuse. The man will also pay SEK 270,000 in damages to the girl. In addition, after serving a sentence he will be expelled from the country.

- The girl has been helped through an international organization that helps human trafficking victims. She also has a lot of help from the Social Services in Sweden, says Per Björkman.

The man has appealed against the convict.