An Afghan migrant who murdered his Swedish girlfriend’s father and attempted to kill her mother is likely to be given a short jail sentence. He “could easily be out by summer 2018”, according to criminology professor Leif GW Persson.
The veteran of Sweden’s National Police Board also said while Mohammad Rajabi is ‘certain’ to re-offend, it’s highly unlikely the prosecution’s request for the 19-year-old migrant to be deported after his sentence will be met as Afghanistan has the death penalty.
Rajabi admitted to killing his 42-year-old girlfriend’s father and seriously wounding, with intent to kill, her mother at their summer cottage on the shore of Lake Hjälmaren in August last year.
According to SVT Västmanland, the ‘unaccompanied minor’ was lured into attempting to kill the pair after the Swedish woman promised him marriage, which would increase the Afghan’s chance of staying in the country.
Mr. Rajabi came to Sweden in the Autumn of 2015 – shortly after German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s declaration that asylum seekers are welcome which ushered into Europe an unprecedented horde of migrants. The Afghan was placed in a centre for unaccompanied minors where the 42-year-old was working.
In Sweden, premeditated murder carries a sentence of between 10 and 18 years in prison. But persons under the age of 21 are given much shorter sentences, and the Afghan says he was 18 at the time of the murder.
“There is currently no legal possibility to request age assessment in criminal cases,” said prosecutor Jessica Wenna.
Mr. Persson, who regularly appears in Swedish media as an expert commentator on crime cases, said the migrant’s age means he’s unlikely to serve much time in jail.
“Because he was 18 years old at the time of the act, courts are very reluctant to impose long sentences to youths, so I would be surprised if he gets a longer sentence than three years,” he told Expressen.
The criminology professor added that Mr. Rajabi “could easily be out [of jail] by summer 2018” if the Afghan behaves himself and follows all the rules whilst in detention.
Though Mr. Wenna stated she would likely ask the Afghan be deported back to his homeland after he’s served his sentence, Persson is sceptical about the chances of that happening.
“If deported, he would risk the death penalty, so [Mr. Rajabi] is going to be allowed to stay in Sweden for the rest of his life.
“It’s certain that [the Afghan] will relapse into crime fairly quickly,” Mr. Persson added, noting his “serious doubts” about the migrant’s future in Swedish society.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.