Vivvi killed by high-risk man – despite police knowledge
A woman in Ånge was killed by her partner at the beginning of the year. The man was on the police's list of men with a high risk of committing lethal partner violence, yet intervention did not occur.
Vivvi killed by high-risk man – despite police knowledge
On 2 January this year, a woman in her 30s was found dead in a villa in Ånge. Her 38-year-old partner had inflicted fatal injuries upon her before taking his own life. It subsequently emerged that the man was listed on the police's record of individuals with a very high risk of committing lethal violence against relatives – yet he could not be stopped.
According to Aftonbladet, the 38-year-old had previously been convicted of serious violation of women's peace against a former girlfriend and served a sentence of one year and four months. When he entered into the relationship with the woman, he was on conditional release, wearing an electronic ankle monitor, and was prohibited from being in Bräcke. The Prison and Probation Service considered the risk of a relapse into partner violence to be high.
The woman's relatives alerted the authorities on repeated occasions – about a dozen times police reports and welfare concerns were filed. Neighbours also contacted the police. The man was never arrested, despite the woman bearing visible injuries and despite her partner having a conviction for similar crimes in his past.
The authorities attempted on one occasion to forcibly detain the woman under the Act on Care of Substance Abusers in order to protect her, but since no drugs were found in her body, she could not be kept confined against her will.
Following the death, the police in Västernorrland reviewed their working procedures. Police area chief Josef Wiklund states that the routines regarding the handling of high-risk men have been changed, with regular check-ins and a special team that reviews the cases together with the prosecutor.
Source: Aftonbladet