Carer acquitted of assault charges at Espoo Rinnekoti – five minors were alleged victims
The District Court of Western Uusimaa acquitted a carer of assault charges due to insufficient evidence. The case relates to a Rinnekoti unit where police also used a stun gun.
Rinnekoti carer acquitted of charges – events at Espoo Lakisto
Yle Uutiset reported that a trial took place relating to Rinnekoti service centre located in Lakisto, Espoo, in which a carer for people with learning disabilities was accused of assaulting five minors. The District Court of Western Uusimaa rejected the charges in March 2023 due to insufficient evidence, and the ruling is final.
The alleged assaults took place in the Majakka unit of Rinnekoti in 2021–2022. The victims were aged 11–16 at the time of the incidents. According to the charges, the carer had struck them with his hand, a cloth and a bucket, and had gripped them by the neck and pushed them from behind. The prosecutor did not argue that the acts had caused visible injuries.
The same service centre has previously made headlines for another reason: police used a stun gun on a person with learning disabilities there, who subsequently died in hospital. According to Yle Uutiset's information, the cases are not directly related to each other and do not concern clients of the same unit.
Staff opinions were sharply divided
Three unit workers filed a report of concern about the carer in 2022. They described the accused's conduct as violent, contemptuous and indifferent towards clients. In court, the prosecutor named them as witnesses.
Five colleagues named by the carer themselves did not observe any shortcomings, irritability or violence at work. According to one co-worker, the carer organised many activities for clients and many clients liked him. The accused himself denied the assaults and said that the incidents had been described incorrectly or he did not recognise them at all.
Court: evidence was insufficient
The court found that there were personal conflicts and disagreements within the team about correct procedures. The charges were countered by the fact that some concerns were not reported immediately but only months later. Additionally, there was uncertainty surrounding the timing and content of the reports of concern.
The court also noted that clients and carers occupied the same premises, so "manifestly" others besides the prosecutor's witnesses should have observed the alleged assaults. The unit's clients generally did not communicate by speaking, and the suspected crime victims could not be heard regarding the incidents.
However, the court recorded that even minimal violence would be particularly reprehensible given the vulnerable position of the claimants and the carer's responsible role.
Investigation may continue
According to Yle Uutiset's information, the close circle of one claimant is dissatisfied with how the criminal suspicions were investigated. The assistant of the claimant's mother intends to file a new investigation request regarding whether the claimant was unlawfully confined in a locked room. Yle MOT covered the criminal suspicions relating to the Majakka unit in 2024.
Source: Yle Uutiset