Well that's different

[les]

                

A 37-year-old Swedish woman has been charged with "violating the peace of the dead" after allegedly using human skeletal remains for "sexual gratification".

The unnamed boner-lover was cuffed back in September by cops investigating a report of a gunshot at her Gothenburg apartment. Shaken officers "immediately called for back-up after finding skeleton parts and knives in the woman’s living room", although initial suspicions of murderous foul play later gave way to the realisation of something rather more macabre.

Prosecutors say the woman had somehow acquired pretty well a whole human skeleton, bits of which she used as sex toys in an "unethical" manner. They point to a seized CD labelled "My necrophilia" and "My first experience", and alleged online sales of skulls by the accused to fellow collectors as further evidence of her dark doings.

However, when hauled before Gothenburg District Court, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the brott mot griftesfriden rap, as violating the peace of the dead is known locally.

She claimed she'd "not done anything illegal", and was simply "motivated by an interest in history and collected the remains like other people might collect stamps".

A psychological evaluation has ruled the woman not mentally ill "in any juridical sense of the term", so if she's found guilty of violating the peace, she won't dodge a penalty ranging from a fine to two years' hard time. ®

[Recacha]

Different to say the least yes. Phew! What will stop her from doing this again? A fine or jail time will not fix this.

[janmb]

Depending on how/where she acquired the bones in the first place, I don't see this as something that is necessarily wrong.

For example: If I were to put in my will that I wish my bones to be the property of my wife and for her to do with as she pleases, who the hell would be in their right to tell her otherwise or deem it illegal?

If the lack of safe disposal of human remains were a violation in itself, for example due to health reasons, that would be a completely different ball game. But that is very much not the case since human remains are legally used in education and a lot of other scenarios as well.

If she is a grave robber, fair enough, that is clearly theft and a crime in its own right.

But the important part here is that she, much like the CIA boss who recently got sacked for having an affair, get legally prosecuted far more from morality/ethics reasons than actual legal considerations. If it had nothing to do with sex it wouldn't have gotten half the attention or reaction.