The man was sentenced to 16 years in prison in Västmanland district court, on the grounds that the violence against the woman has been mindless. At the same time, the age of 70 was taken into consideration.

The verdict was appealed by both prosecutors and the convicted. The prosecutor wanted the high court to sentence the 70-year-old to life imprisonment or at least a longer prison sentence, while the 70-year-old wanted the court to acquit him for murder or at least lower the prison sentence.

Judgment of the High Court

The High Court went on the latter, deciding that the 70-year-old should be sentenced to 14 years in prison. Here's how the court writes in the judgment:

"However, with regard to the assessment of the penalty value, the High Court considers that the district court did not sufficiently take into account that it was not * XX's intention to kill * NN without committing the act of indifference."

The High Court, like the District Court, has taken the man's age into consideration.

Found dead on Christmas Eve

It was on Christmas Eve last year that the woman was found dead in the couple's joint home in Västerås. The investigation reveals, among other things, that the 70-year-old abused the woman so badly that she received about twenty rib fractures.