A man who came to Finland with a work permit raped a 15-year-old girl in the disabled toilet of a shopping center. The crime was revealed after the girl told her friend about the events.
The man was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison. The Court of Appeal did not change the judgment of the Pirkanmaa district court. Miia Sirén
A 26-year-old man raped a 15-year-old girl in the toilet of a Tampere shopping center in November 2023. Ernest Rama had come to Finland with a one-year work permit just a few months earlier.
The two met on an internet discussion platform in the fall. Between October and November, they met a couple of times in public places. During the meetings, they kissed, among other things.
On the third date, they ended up having sex in the shopping mall’s disabled toilet.
The girl didn’t want anyone to find out about what happened. He would not have wanted to file a criminal complaint. However, the girl told her friend. That was enough.
The friend acted as a friend should, and told an adult about what happened: his own mother. The friend’s mother told the girl’s mother.
The mother took her daughter to a sex crime investigation two days later. The police arrested the man three weeks later. He was imprisoned by the decision of the district court.
No pressure or violence
The matter was discussed in the district court of Pirkanmaa in early 2024. The man denied sexual intercourse and claimed that the two went to the bathroom only to kiss. According to what he claimed, he had not wanted to kiss in the cafe in front of others.
The district court did not find the argument credible. It was undisputed that the two had previously kissed in public places. The man’s credibility was also weakened by the fact that his stories changed several times as the investigation progressed.
The district court therefore considered that the man had sexual intercourse with the girl. However, it had to decide whether it was child rape or sexual abuse of a child. The girl had participated in sexual intercourse voluntarily. There was no coercion or violence involved in the act.
It was still child rape, the court judged. In addition to the manner of doing it, this was influenced by the fact that the two did not date each other and the fact that their age difference was large: 11 years. The man knew that the girl was 15 years old.
Appealed to the Court of Appeal
Pirkanmaa district court sentenced Ernest Rama to 2 years and 6 months in prison. He was sentenced to prison, as the court considered it likely that the man would avoid punishment by leaving the country.
Rama was ordered to compensate the rape victim 4,000 euros for the suffering caused by the violation, as well as more than 2,500 euros in court costs.
He appealed the sentence to the Court of Appeal, demanding that the charge be dismissed and that he be released from all liability for compensation. The appeal was not successful in the Turku Court of Appeal.
Currently, 27-year-old Rama remains imprisoned.
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