Nacka district court acquits gang criminals of attempted aggravated assault after statute of limitations

It was when Egon had taken the bus to a birthday party on a Sunday afternoon in February 2020 that a then 19-year-old man set fire to his hair with a lighter. Egon acted quickly and managed to extinguish the flames. He escaped without injury, but the incident shook him and bit into his insides.

The attack on Egon was filmed, but despite this, the police investigation was parodically long-winded. Only in February this year was the young man charged with attempted aggravated assault. The man, a designated gang criminal connected to the Dalen network, has now turned 26 years old.

During the trial in Nacka district court, the 26-year-old was not allowed to attend. For security reasons, he participated instead via a link from the Hall institution, where he is serving a long-term prison sentence for a high-profile bombing in 2023. He then apologized to Egon and admitted the crime.

- I am incredibly ashamed. I don't know what came into my head. I was 19 years old then. It was somewhat impulsive, said the 26-year-old, who appeared on a large screen in the courtroom.

During the hearing, the 26-year-old only pleaded guilty to attempted assault of the normal degree, and his defender argued that the crime would be time-barred in that case.

Now Nacka district court follows the line of the defense and acquits the 26-year-old of attempted serious assault. In its verdict, the court states that Egon Malmgren's injuries were "relatively mild" and that this was largely due to the fact that he reacted quickly and succeeded in extinguishing the flames. If, on the other hand, he had not done so, the injuries could have been significantly worse, it is pointed out.

At the same time, the court believes that it cannot be considered proven that the act was life-threatening, nor that Egon Malmgren could have been caused "such severe and extensive bodily harm" as is required to qualify the crime as serious.

A qualifying basis for the crime of attempted aggravated assault is that the defendant must have shown particular recklessness and brutality. According to the court, there is no doubt that the 26-year-old showed exactly this by attacking a stranger on a bus completely unprovoked. The 26-year-old's actions also indicate that he was indifferent to what could have happened to Egon, it is pointed out in the judgment.

According to the district court, the incident must be considered a "serious act of assault", but it still does not reach what is required to be classified as serious. In light of this, the indictment is dismissed and the act is time-barred.

Egon Malmgren says he is horrified by the verdict.

- Now this has been going on for more than six and a half years. I am doubly affected, partly by a terrifying crime and partly by the Swedish justice system, which has become my enemy, says Egon, who also reacts to the fact that his name is consistently misspelled in the judgment.

According to the verdict, the 26-year-old must pay damages to Egon Malmgren of a total of SEK 9,200.