The court found he used threats, surveillance, drugs and isolation to control her, rejecting his claim that the encounters were consensual.
Authorities also convicted 28 men for purchasing sexual services from the victim.
A Swedish court on Tuesday, 16th June, sentenced a 61-year-old man to four years and five months in prison for forcing his wife to provide sexual services to more than 120 men over several years. The case, which has drawn attention internationally, was heard in Harnosand on Sweden’s eastern coast.
Swedish man jailed for four years for coercing wife into sex with 120 men https://t.co/OZXilUYmJe
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) June 16, 2026
The court found the man guilty of several offences, including attempted rape, aggravated pimping, assault and unlawful threats. Judges ruled that he had taken control of the sexual operation and used fear, pressure and surveillance to control his wife.
Threats, cameras and isolation
According to prosecutors, the abuse began in 2022 at the couple’s isolated farm in Kramfors, where men travelled from different parts of Sweden to meet the woman in exchange for payment. The activities continued until October 2025, when she managed to contact the police.
The court heard that the man used security cameras inside the house, sometimes recording sexual encounters. Prosecutors said he also supplied the woman with drugs and took advantage of the remote location of their home and her limited social contacts to keep her under control.
He was accused of threatening to kill her, burn her with petrol and cut off her fingers. Swedish broadcaster SVT reported that the woman eventually escaped by using an area of the house that was not covered by cameras before calling police.
Court rejects claim of consent
Throughout the trial, the man denied wrongdoing and insisted that he had only helped arrange consensual meetings. However, the court rejected his defence and concluded that he had “ruthlessly exploited” his wife.
Judges said he pressured her into performing sexual acts, broadcasting them online, meeting additional sex buyers and even trying to persuade neighbours and customers to have sex with her. The court found that he managed most aspects of the operation and was the person who started selling her sexual services.
Charges and compensation
The court dismissed eight rape charges because it could not prove that the woman’s participation was involuntary in those cases. One additional charge was dropped because investigators could not determine exactly what sexual acts had taken place. However, the man was convicted of one count of attempted rape.
He was also ordered to pay the woman 200,000 kronor ($21,300) in damages. The identities of both individuals have not been made public.
Other men were also convicted
Swedish authorities identified around 120 men who had engaged in the sexual services offered by the man. However, only 29 were charged.
Of those, 28 were convicted of purchasing a total of 56 sexual services. While most denied the accusations, claiming they either did not have sex with the woman or did not pay for it, the court found enough evidence to convict them. Two received prison sentences, while the others were given suspended sentences or probation.
The case has been compared by some observers to the high-profile French case involving Dominique Pelicot, who was convicted after drugging his former wife, Gisele Pelicot, and allowing other men to rape her over a period of nine years.
