Man Guilty Of Sexual Assault Given Lighter Sentence For Confession

Last week, the Reykjavík District Court passed sentence on a man who was accused of sexually assaulting his girlfriend and confessed to the conduct, Vísir reports. The judge considered that due to the rarity of a confession in sexual assault cases, and the repentance the man showed, that he should be given a milder sentence.

The assault took place in October 2017, at the time that the man accused was the survivor’s fiancé. The man admitted to being responsible for engaging sexually with his then-girlfriend while she was not able to give consent, due to being unconscious from intoxication. The evidence fully supports the claims of the accusation and the confession.

As a final result, a punishment of 2 years of prison was passed down to the man, 21 months of which will be probationary, and a 1.5 million fine should be paid to the victim as compensation, even though the woman had initially sought 2.5 million.

RÚV reports that in 2018, reports of sexual assault in Iceland increased by 20% compared to the year before, with the greater Reykjavík area and the Westman Islands showing a higher incidence than the rest of Iceland.