Swedish businessman convicted of raping domestic helper loses appeal

Ekstrom was allowed bail pending appeal (HK Free Press photo) A Swedish businessman was sent back to jail Tuesday after he lost his appeal against his conviction for raping his Nepalese domestic helper. The Court of Appeal ordered Patrik Tobias Ekstrom returned to prison as he was out on bail pending his appeal. Ekstrom was sentenced to seven years in prison in August 2024 after a jury unanimously declared him guilty on one count of rape and one of buggery of the helper identified only as “X,”, for the incident that happened inside his bedroom Oct. 27, 2022. This was despite his claim that the sexual acts were consensual, and that the helper had entered his bedroom willingly. He also denied threatening to kill X if she did not agree to having sex with him. In appealing against his sentence, Ekstrom argued through his lawyer that the trial judge failed to properly instruct the jury about X’s claim in her testimony that the employer had “also done this to Mohini”, referring to his former domestic helper. This claim could have made the jury think that Ekstrom had raped both helpers, when in fact, it was mere hearsay, said the defense lawyer. The lawyer also tried to argue that the judge erred in admitting as evidence voice messages sent by X to Ekstrom’s wife, who was abroad at the time, after the rape. In those messages, not once did X tell her female employer that she was raped, so the judge should not have allowed them to form part of the evidence, said the lawyer. In her testimony, X said Ekstrom returned to his Shek O home looking drunk late on Oct 27, 2022 and forced her into his bedroom, and raped her. At the time, Ekstrom’s wife and three children were in Japan. In his defense, Ekstrom claimed he had an intimate relationship with X before the incident. He also said that during sex X had asked for help in repaying a loan. In sentencing, Judge Derek Chan cited a psychological report on Ekstrom which said his chances of committing another sexual offence was on “the high end of the moderate risk.”

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