Third rape charge against Hagos in Oulu – expert: "Reoffenders are a problem"
29-year-old Nahom Hagos is charged with rape for the third time in Oulu. The government is preparing a legislative amendment that would enable preventive detention for the most dangerous reoffenders.
Nahom Hagos charged with rape for the third time – government preparing preventive detention
Ilta-Sanomat reported that 29-year-old Nahom Hagos is charged with rape for the third time. The charge was heard in Oulu District Court on Thursday. According to MTV, the alleged crime under consideration took place in Toppila, Oulu, in April 2023. Hagos denies the charge.
Hagos has been convicted of rape twice previously. The first conviction was handed down in 2019, when he raped an 85-year-old woman in the laundry room of a residential building in Oulu. The act resulted in a 4.5-year prison sentence for aggravated rape. The second rape occurred in 2023, and he received a sentence of 2 years and 9 months' imprisonment. The judgment on the third charge will be delivered later.
Reoffending common in sexual offences
According to Professor Emeritus of Criminal and Procedural Law Matti Tolvanen, reoffending is typical in sexual offences.
"Reoffenders are a problem," Tolvanen states.
According to him, legal means of preventing reoffending are limited. The most effective option when suspicion emerges is investigative detention.
"Rape is a crime that is sufficient grounds for remand in custody," Tolvanen says.
Previous convictions can be taken into account as an aggravating factor in sentencing. They also affect whether a suspect can seek conditional release halfway through their sentence – they must serve at least two-thirds. Under certain conditions, a sentence may be ordered to be served entirely without conditional release.
Government preparing preventive detention
According to Tolvanen, the means of addressing serious crimes will improve in the future. The government is currently considering a legislative reform that would enable so-called preventive detention. This would mean that imprisonment could be continued after the end of a sentence for as long as the person is considered dangerous to society.
According to the government's proposal, for example, someone convicted of aggravated rape could be held in custody even after serving their sentence if the sentence was at least three years. Continued detention would require that there is an obvious danger of the person committing a new serious sexual offence.
"In some situations, it may be justified that such a means exists," Tolvanen assesses.
The measure could also be applied to first-time offenders. In practice, the reform would probably affect only a few individuals per year. The law is intended to come into force at the beginning of 2027.
Preventive detention is already in use in Denmark and Norway. In Sweden, a similar legislative project is underway. Finland currently has combination sentencing in force, which requires a serious criminal deemed dangerous to be released only to reoffend to serve the entire sentence without conditional release, followed by a year of supervision.
Source: Ilta-Sanomat