Man, 42, jailed in child abuse case

Hans Fróði á Toftanesi, previously Hansen, was yesterday sentenced to 45 months in prison on charges related to the sexual abuse of a young boy.

This is the same unconditional prison sentence as the mother of the young boy received in March after being found guilty of sexually abusing her own son.

The Faroese man was charged with having encouraged the a 42-year-old Danish woman to sexually abuse her 4-year-old son by giving advice and instructions.

In total, the man faced 41 charges of sexual misconduct, including breaching §216 of the penal code, regarding rape, §23, regarding instigating and giving advice, and §232, regarding indecent exposure.

He continues to deny all charges and has appealed his sentence.

According to Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet, he told the court yesterday that while he regretted what he had done, he could not plead guilty to something he had not done.

“Looking back, I ask myself: Am I an idiot? No doubt. Have I done something wrong? Yes. Did I do it on purpose? Never,” he told the Court of Lyngby in Denmark.

In his defence, he said that he believed the entire communication process between him and the boy’s mother was a matter of make-believe and not reality.

The prosecution demanded that the man was given a harsher sentence than the woman, arguing that it was he who arranged the abuse of the little boy. The prosecution also emphasised that the man’s testimony was unreliable because he frequently asked the woman for photo evidence of the abuse.

In addition to the jail term, Mr á Toftanesi has been ordered to pay the legal costs plus DKK 100,000 in compensation to the boy.

Only minutes after the sentence was passed, he decided to appeal the sentence. He will be remanded in custody until the appeal case is heard at the High Court of Eastern Denmark.

Translated by prosa.fo.