Original subtitles

[somber music]

CAROLA SAYS HÅKAN SOLD HER AS A SEX SLAVE.

HE SAYS IT NEVER HAPPENED.

WHO'S TELLING THE TRUTH?

THE SEX SLAVE

[Håkan] First of all, I want to emphasize that I feel

compelled to take part in this.

All the podcasts, all the magazines, all the TV channels,

all the media out there

are always giving her side of the story.

And she's very good. She's eloquent.

It's hard not to believe her.

If you see the common thread, ask the right questions,

then she won't be able to be manipulative,

because then the truth will come out.

That's what I'm saying.

There are recordings, documentation, there are witnesses.

Despite these things, I'm the culprit.

[somber music]

I'm innocent.

ALL THE SMS & MESSENGER MESSAGES ARE FROM THE POLICE'S PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION.

Feel free to ask me any questions you want.

I don't really have anything

to hide. I've been telling the same story all along.

My only wish is for Carola to be questioned as well.

As far as I'm concerned, there's no evidence.

It's her word against mine.

[Ia] My name is Ia Sveger. I'm a lawyer.

I knew Håkan from before.

IA SVEGER HÅKAN'S DEFENSE ATTORNEY

When Håkan is arrested,

he has sole custody of their two children.

Putting him behind bars was the easiest way

for Carola to regain custody.

The relationship was more or less over for Håkan's,

maybe more so than for Carola.

[Erik] Håkan wanted to leave her.

I think she panicked a little.

"ERIK" HÅKAN'S FRIEND

I think Carola lied,

and fabricated these allegations for her own personal benefit.

Only time will tell.

[Håkan] Damn, it's really raining!

So much of this is just plain crazy.

There's nothing in my story that you can question.

They'll come to the same conclusion.

I'm innocent. Carola lied. Period.

SPORTS FIGURE RELEASED WANTS REDEMPTION

I want a retrial.

My hope, of course, is that I will be acquitted.

That would give me a better chance of seeing

mine and Carola's children.

And that's what means the most to me.

[dramatic music]

You have to start looking at the rule of law.

You have to be objective.

If there was a nuclear bomb

and it took out all the police,

social services, and prosecutors

I'd just say

[chuckles] "Yeah, who cares?"

Can we take a break, two seconds?

[sighs heavily]

[solemn music]

You know, it brings up a lot of memories.

Even the apartment.

Carola and I were supposed to decorate it.

I feel so awful that it's

I've tried not to discredit Carola.

I mean, children are brought into the world

because there's love between a couple.

[birds chirping]

To a large extent, I trusted Carola.

That's what our whole relationship has been about.

I should have seen the red flags, but in hindsight,

she's been cheating on me pretty much our whole relationship.

To be honest, I wasn't really looking for a relationship.

I was in the middle of a custody battle.

At that point, my focus was on the situation

with my oldest daughter's mother.

That took all of my attention.

But at the same time,

there was this void in me that was crying out for

closeness.

In this frustration

HÅKAN NORRTÄLJE - SWEDEN - SINGLE MAN SEEKS WOMAN - 192 CM - 95 KG - ATTRACTIVE

I went online again.

And started communicating with Carola.

WHERE DO YOU LIVE?

When she asked me, "Can I call you instead? I'm driving."

And I got to hear her voice.

I knew then that this is a person

I want to spend time with.

[♪]

There was something about Carola.

It just clicked.

It fit right away.

Her opinions.

The way she spoke, and most of all,

the way she listened to me.

At the same time,

I knew that this really wasn't good.

These red flags started coming up.

[tense music]

I CAN'T DECIDE ABOUT TOMORROW.

I DON'T KNOW IF I WANT TO SEE YOU ALONE

OR WITH MY HUSBAND HOW DO YOU FEEL?

Carola wanted things I'd never tried.

[♪]

She then tells me

"I want a gang bang."

It was maybe five or six different men.

"And my husband's going to film it."

And then I just immediately felt

this shock.

I had to read it several times.

What is she writing?

Once this had sunk in, I just felt like,

"This is not me. I don't want to take part in this."

[faint music playing over speakers]

I just wrote, "I had a great time with you,

but this isn't for me. I'm out.

Thank you for this, and I wish you all the best in the future."

[solemn music]

And then she asked me, "Can I come to your house?"

When I opened the door,

she's standing outside crying.

That's when she told me she didn't want to have

this gang bang anymore.

She didn't want an open relationship with her husband.

She had, in a short time,

fallen in love with me, and wanted to give it a try.

I WON'T BE WITH ANYONE ELSE. I ONLY WANT YOU, EVEN IF YOU DON'T WANT ME ANYMORE.

[♪]

I couldn't do it.

I couldn't handle the longing for my eldest daughter,

and Carola's warmth.

It's some combination of this that made me go back again.

[somber music]

[♪]

And we started seeing each other.

I made it very clear that

if we were going to keep seeing each other,

I didn't want her seeing any other guys.

[♪]

[♪]

She had e-mail conversations with,

as far as we know today,

at least eight different men

SEND ME A PICTURE OF YOU AND ALL THE COCKS.

[Håkan] when she had

YOU HORNY LITTLE THING.

[Håkan] made it very clear to me

that I was the one she wanted to commit to.

SO YOU'RE UP FOR A BUKKAKE

[grunting with effort]

She set up meetings with these men.

DO YOU WANT TO BE FUCKED BY ALL FIVE OF THEM IN ALL THE HOLES?

At her workplace.

Before, after, and on breaks.

I WANT TO HAVE SEX WITH ALL FIVE

When it came out, it hurt.

[birds chirping]

NORRTELJE NEWSPAPER

Maj.

LISTING MEN CONVICTED OF RAPE IN NORRTÄLJE

It's in the Norrtelje newspaper again.

Here. It's a full page.

-[Maj] No. -Again.

-[Maj] That, too? -[Håkan] Yes.

"For ten years, the man, a former teacher,

subjected the woman to violence and abuse.

He broke down her own will, monitored her every move,

harassed and threatened her.

The man invited an unknown man

for a fee to sexually abuse her at their residence."

It's

well, what can I say?

I live in a small town.

There's been a total media storm about this.

Everyone's read this. Everyone knows about this.

And if it's only one side that gets to tell their version,

then, eventually, it becomes a reality.

A rapist is the lowest piece of garbage on the planet.

[solemn music]

People you thought were friends,

that you've been hanging out with for 30 years,

contact me and tell me they've removed me from Facebook.

[♪]

Hmm.

[speaking in another language]

I mean, I have nothing left.

Housing, it'll be fine.

Work, it'll be fine.

But this time with the kids,

you can never get that back.

[sobbing]

And then this thought, "What do they think of me?

What have they found out? Why is Dad gone?"

[♪]

It's so hard to explain this feeling

like you're being watched all the time.

[♪]

All the time, I feel like I'm being followed.

I can't even go into a store and shop here in Norrtälje.

I don't want to. I panic.

[♪]

[car horn honking]

I wouldn't have dared to cheat on Håkan.

This evidence are emails

that were date-stamped long before I even met Håkan.

And yet, he's been obsessed with it.

PUT THE BEDROOM CAMERA WHERE IT SHOULD BE

[Carola] He had control of everything.

I HAVEN'T TOUCHED IT

[Håkan] I didn't control her in any way.

At some point, you have to start

questioning her statements again.

"When did Håkan do this? How can you prove it?

On what grounds? What do you mean, this happened?"

No one asked. No one asked my side of the story.

[tense music]

I had a surveillance system.

I have my race boat out in the garage.

We set up a camera there. Very simple.

Then we also had a camera inside the bedroom

that was pointed at a dresser.

Did I had those two cameras? Absolutely.

[♪]

[Ia] Too much emphasis has been placed on that aspect

of Håkan's control over Carola.

He did have cameras, which a lot of people have in their homes.

[Håkan] According to her version,

I sit and look at these cameras every day.

I'm a teacher, the only teacher at a small school.

When is this supposed to have happened?

If my students saw me sitting here,

watching this on my phone,

what do you think they'd say?

[wind gusts softly]

[Jenny] He was my children's teacher.

They also confirmed that he constantly called to keep tabs on Carola.

JENNY CAROLA'S FRIEND

Everyone in her class knew about it.

CAN YOU WRITE DOWN WHAT POINTS WE TALKED ABOUT

AND WHAT WE'VE AGREED ON TO EVEN THINK ABOUT TRYING AGAIN?

NOT TO LIE. NOT TO HAVE CONTACT WITH JENNY

[Jenny] Håkan forbade Carola from seeing me.

THAT YOU CAN TRACE AND CHECK MY PHONE

[Jenny] He wanted to cut off the last of her contacts.

[Carola] When things are at their worst

I don't have any open channels

and there's very few people that I'm allowed

to have contact with.

COME DOWN, TAKE YOUR CLOTHES OFF AND I'LL GET YOU

I was under so much stress the whole time.

I felt like I was going to fall apart.

It's all about his needs.

Sex is more important than anything.

There was no way out anymore

I couldn't get away from it.

I'LL TAKE THE KIDS TOMORROW SO YOU CAN SEE ÅSA

The only free moments I had

were when he was having sex with someone else,

and I wasn't there.

So I was uh

I was the one who suggested that she and Håkan

start seeing each other.

-[man speaking indistinctly on telephone] -Uh-huh.

I see. No, I understand.

I was going to come and pick you up.

Take you to lunch. Does it work?

I never said I didn't like sex.

I like to have sex. I have sex a lot.

Carola had offered Åsa to be alone with me.

[unsettling music]

And that Carola would go away with the kids.

I'm sure many men would have been happy about this.

But I saw problems.

I made it clear. I told Carola,

"You're the one I want to be with."

[♪]

Carola says to me, "Well, write Åsa."

And I'm like, "No."

So I didn't at first. But then

[half-laughs, half-sighs]

I own my decisions, and I can only say that.

Yeah, then I wrote.

They made that decision for me.

I mean, I wasn't even part of this decision.

I could see that this wasn't going to end well.

And most of all, I'm thinking, "Why did you do this?"

[pensive music]

[Carola] It was my suggestion, so that I could find a way out.

That gave me a chance

to go to a friend's house,

and catch my breath for a few hours.

She and I had great sex.

I can't deny that.

YOU'VE BEEN GOING ON AND ON ABOUT ÅSA ALL NIGHT,

EVEN WHEN WE'RE HAVING SEX, YOU CAN'T STOP TALKING ABOUT HER

It was Carola's idea for Håkan to have sex with Åsa.

I WANT SOME ALONE TIME WITH YOU

Then, once this started, Carola wasn't exactly, hmm

IA SVEGER HÅKAN'S DEFENSE ATTORNEY

comfortable with it.

Instead, she got a little jealous,

and wasn't happy with the relationship at all.

[wind gusting gently]

[Håkan] That's when Carola

started telling me and writing to me

that our relationship hadn't been good for a long time.

She then wanted to have what's known as a BDSM session.

[intense music]

[Ia] BDSM is a form of sex that involves violence.

It involves having whips,

you can wear a choke chain,

or you're tied up.

[insects chirping]

[Håkan] I told her this is not something I can do.

I mean, regular sex, I know my way, if I may brag.

I'm good at that.

Um

but this was a whole new plan for me.

There were many discussions.

I remember we talked about it a lot.

But through it all,

Carola continues to make veiled threats.

So in the end, I realized that

I had two options.

Either separate or agree to this.

Those were my two options.

[telephone ringing]

[Ia] Both Håkan and Carola had a very strong

interest in sex.

You can't ignore that.

Sex was one of the most important aspects

of their relationship.

Carola knew full well that this person

was coming to the residence for the purpose

of a sexual encounter.

[children shouting distantly]

[Håkan] She was adamant about being tied up.

She wanted to be blindfolded.

She wanted to be whipped.

She wanted to be on the table.

Everything I was accused of,

had already been discussed long before the meeting.

THEN YOU LEAD ME OVER TO THE COUCH, AND BOTH OF YOU COME UP TO MY MOUTH,

[Håkan] After this meeting,

AND I JERK OFF WHILE I SUCK YOU

she then writes that "It felt really good yesterday. I trusted you."

I'LL ADMIT ONE THING

[he continues] She knows the truth.

THAT I FELT SAFE WITH YOU LAST TIME HE WAS HERE

[he continues] She knows I didn't force her.

There's a recording, documentation, witnesses.

Even so, I'm the bad guy.

I DON'T WANT TO PAY THAT

THEN WHAT ARE YOU OFFERING?

[director] Then how come you've been taking money?

[tense music]

As I've said, at some point you have to examine yourself.

And I can be honest and say, yes, I took money.

But not for sex,

not for anything like that.

The idea, as the conversation makes clear,

was that the money would be handed over to Carola

so she could buy sex toys.

And that's exactly what I did.

WHEN ARE WE GOING TO BUY TOYS?

[he continues] She then, as a thing, wanted this person who came home

NAUGHTY ADVENTURES LOOKING FOR FUCK BUDDY SOME WEEKDAY FUN

to bring BDSM things for me to use on Carola.

I explained to Carola. "Now I found one, but he doesn't have any BDSM things."

BENGT66, 52 - STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN MAN IN RELATIONSHIP LOOKING FOR WOMAN, SOMETHING SHORT-TERM

[Håkan continues] So his suggestion was,

"Why don't I send Carola some money, so she can buy them?"

WHAT'S THE PLAN?

WE'LL BUY A WHIP THAT YOU PAY FOR WHEN YOU GET HERE.

I TIE AND WHIP HER. WHEN WE'RE DONE, YOU LEAVE.

[he continues] But then she says,

"I don't want him to know who I am,

and I don't want to know who he is.

That's the whole thing."

And here, I've asked myself that question a thousand times.

Why, Håkan? Why?

But he sent me money.

I sent the money to Carola.

It was stupid. But did I sell her? No!

[office din]

I don't think I've ever been involved in a case

where there's so much documentation

between the two parties.

And here, Carola herself has expressed what she wants.

She wants to be blindfolded,

to be restrained, to be fucked on the couch.

This is something that she did voluntarily.

[tense music]

[Håkan] Did I want this man to join the game? No.

I didn't make any requests.

I haven't made any demands.

But I have asked her,

"What do you want to be a part of?

What do you think I should do with you?"

DO YOU HAVE A REQUEST?

I WANT TO BE BLINDFOLDED

[Rebecca] There are chats where Carola herself

says she wants to have BDSM sex.

REBECCA LAGH CAROLA'S LAWYER

And in my world, having read the whole thing

and knowing this case,

I understand that she's doing it

because she knows that's what Håkan wants to hear.

And if she says these things,

he won't punish her.

[tense music]

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO HAPPEN?

I'M STRAPPED TO THE TABLE WHEN HE COMES

YOU TOUCH AND CARESS ME YOU FUCK ME

Håkan very often wanted me to write things to him in text messages.

[cell phone ringing]

He told me exactly what to write, word for word.

THEN YOU LEAD ME OVER TO THE COUCH AND BOTH OF YOU COME UP TO MY MOUTH

AND I JERK OFF WHILE I SUCK YOU

[Carola continues] He knows what he's doing is wrong.

He wants proof that it's my idea and not his idea.

[♪]

If I didn't want to send the texts,

he could go on for hours.

There were times when I'd just do it

so he'd leave me alone, and I could go to sleep.

I'M HERE

[she continues] I didn't want Håkan to bring some strange man

to have sex with me while I was strapped to the table.

COME IN

I didn't even know anything about it,

about those payments or any of that,

I had no idea any of it had happened.

[solemn music]

TRIAL AUDIO RECORDING

[Bengt on recording] It was Håkan who asked me if I wanted to come.

"BENGT" - SEX BUYER

[officer on recording] Was it Håkan who contacted you

on all those occasions?

[Bengt] Yes.

[officer] Is it true that you sent the money to Håkan?

[Bengt] Yes.

[officer] Why did you send the money?

[Bengt] So they could buy a sex swing that costs 6 000 kronor.

[officer] Okay.

Then why did you pay them so many times?

SENDER - RECEIVER - SUM HÅKAN - 1 200 KR

[Bengt] I couldn't afford it all at once.

[officer] Okay.

Telling the truth in court is essential.

[Bengt] Absolutely. Absolutely.

When we questioned the suspect about soliciting sexual services,

he denied it.

But this is a deeply shameful offense.

TOMAS POLICE

So it's not surprising

that he didn't want to talk about it.

[officer on recording] You've admitted to paying for sex.

[Bengt on recording] I'm very scared right now.

[officer] Yes, I understand that.

That makes it all the more important

that you answer truthfully.

[Tomas] He was questioned again.

Eventually he admitted that he had purchased sexual services,

and explained what happened.

[somber music]

[Bengt on recording] Then he put her on the table.

He tied her down with those ropes.

And he whipped her.

Then he motioned for me to come over to the table.

I had already paid to do it, so I did.

I-- I didn't know any better.

BENGT WAS CONVICTED OF PURCHASING SEXUAL SERVICES.

HE WAS SENTENCED TO 80 DAY-FINES TOTALING 26,400 KRONOR.

Those who buy sex don't care about the vulnerability

of the person they're buying sex from.

REBECCA LAGH CAROLA'S LAWYER

I think that generally holds true.

If you're buying sex, you're doing it

so you can do all the things that you can't do with anyone else.

[Tomas] She told me that this had happened many times.

These were the times that we were able to prove it.

So, that part of her story remains uncertain today.

It could be what she says, or it could be what he says.

[unsettling music]

I'M VERY DOMINANT AND I DEMAND OBEDIENCE

I WANT YOU TO FEEL COMPLETELY INFERIOR AND GRATEFUL THAT I EVEN LET YOU SUCK ME

It starts off with this incredible warmth and appreciation,

until he starts making little demands.

And every boundary you cross is not that difficult in itself.

It becomes normal.

[♪]

[Björn] Basically, their stories are pretty consistent

with each other's.

BJÖRN POLICE

But how can these experiences be so different?

We went through tens of thousands of chat messages,

seeing how they communicated back and forth.

24 hours a day.

[Rebecca] It's very rare for the police even recover

all these chat messages.

But in this case, they did.

That's what made the difference.

To truly understand the scope of it,

you almost have to read every single one.

DO WE HAVE A DEAL?

YES

[Rebecca] How Håkan,

in a very calculated and manipulative way,

makes her do things that she doesn't really want to do.

I'M SORRY, BUT I CAN'T GIVE YOU ANOTHER CHANCE

I UNDERSTAND. I'M SORRY FOR EVERYTHING I PUT YOU THROUGH

[Björn] In the material we reviewed,

we could see a clear process of normalization.

That's what set this case apart.

I FEEL THAT I'M TRYING, BUT I CAN STILL IMPROVE EVEN MORE! I REALLY LOVE YOU.

[Tomas] You put on financial pressure.

HOW ARE YOU GOING TO AFFORD FIVE KIDS ON YOUR OWN?

[Tomas] Emotional pressure.

YOU CAN'T TAKE CARE OF YOUR KIDS

[Tomas] Criticizing the kids.

YOUR DAUGHTER TREATS YOU LIKE CRAP

But also the plaintiff herself.

That's she's not good enough.

[tense music]

WHO IS ---?

[Tomas] This rather strict control

DELETE HER FROM FACEBOOK.

THAT'S AN ORDER NOT A REQUEST

that takes away, little by little, her self-esteem.

I'VE ARRANGED FOR A WOMAN TO COME OVER ON SUNDAY

[Tomas] And constantly pushes the boundaries

OK. WHAT DOES SHE WANT TO DO?

of one's personal space

IT DOESN'T MATTER. YOU WILL OBEY ME

until there isn't much left.

I SUCK AT EVERYTHING

[somber music]

[Björn] Throughout it all,

there was a constant cycle of warmth, love and care,

followed by coldness, demands, and control,

and it just went back and forth.

YOU HAVE A LIFETIME CONTRACT TO HAVE SEX WITH ME. I DECIDE WHO YOU SEE.

Legally, it was the first time that a court

actually based its judgment

NORRTÄLJE DISTRICT COURT COURTS OF SWEDEN

on the normalization process.

[intense, pounding music]

Every second is like an eternity.

I didn't get my sentence read out.

In my case, I was in custody.

Then they call you out to a room.

Then once they've checked that all the doors and everything are closed,

you can to turn the sentence over, and start reading.

And so

When I saw ten years, then

[tense music swells]

[high-pitched whine]

I don't know what I was thinking.

I didn't sleep at all last night.

It's hard.

It's really hard.

After what happened.

He's sentenced to ten years, which was a shock to Håkan,

and also to me, as his defense attorney.

I really don't understand.

They threw everything they had at this case to try to convict Håkan.

It was aggravated rape, rape,

violation of a woman's integrity, procuring.

It was 16 counts altogether.

[somber music]

[Carola] The lawyer calls and she just says,

"Ten years."

I kind of understood that now we're going to be free.

There's time to heal.

It was like a relief that he won't be able

to get to us for a long time.

[Ia] Regardless, there's always an opportunity to appeal to the Court of Appeals.

And the Court of Appeals will do a very thorough examination.

There was an enormous amount of material

in the preliminary investigation.

That's why the Court of Appeal reviewed all the evidence

that had been presented in the District Court.

SPORTS STAR'S APPEAL REDUCES SENTENCE TO 3 YEARS AND 4 MONTHS

When the Court of Appeals comes,

they lower the sentence by two-thirds.

That's from 10 years to 3.4 years.

They dropped about half the charges.

[Rebecca] The aggravated rapes disappeared.

The procuring charge was dropped.

But the reason the sentence became so severe

was because the aggravated rapes carry a high penalty value.

[tense music]

[Carola] He's been in custody,

and he'll get credit for time served,

so I know he's gonna get out sooner.

It became a bit of a rush to find a plan B in life,

where we were gonna go.

[♪]

[low hum of conversation]

[♪]

[Rebecca] He was convicted of aggravated violation of a woman's integrity,

procuring, and rape.

COURTS OF SWEDEN

[Rebecca] They're confirming that

the normalization process exists,

and it has legal significance.

They argued that she had gone through such a profound

process of normalization that she was no longer able to defend herself,

or her sexual integrity.

In a way, she had no choice.

[somber music]

[door slams]

[Ia] This raises a very difficult issue

of legal certainty.

How can you actually determine whether there was consent or not?

[Håkan] As I understand it, they claimed I'd been raping her from the start,

three to four times a week,

but it's not clear where, and especially when, this happened.

[♪]

In this normalization process, you can be more vague.

This expression is bullshit. It doesn't exist.

But if it does exist, I'm telling you, if anyone is normalized, it's me.

[♪]

[Tomas] Legally, it was rape.

But, to be perfectly honest,

I still don't think he sees this the same way

that the legislator does at all.

CONVICTED OF RAPE IN NORRTÄLJE

[Håkan] Had I known somewhere in the back of my mind,

"Håkan, you actually did this"

The more I think about it,

the more how could it have come to this?

I can't believe it.

I can't understand why I was convicted.

I don't get it.

I really don't.

[unsettling music]

[Carola] We're going back to the courthouse.

[woman on phone] Okay.

[Carola] He's accused of violating the restraining order.

[woman on phone] Has he appealed the restraining order?

[Carola] These years that he was away from us,

both me and the kids grew so much.

[woman on phone] You could run into him at any grocery store you walk into.

I avoid going into grocery stores for that very reason.

[woman on phone] Hmm.

And then the fact that today he's a free man

and you have to constantly think about what his next step is.

Um

it's incredibly unfair.

[tense music]

[Håkan] I believe Carola is dangerous along with the authorities.

Deep down, she's a good person, but she got swept up in it.

Because she didn't put a stop to it soon enough,

it just kept escalating.

Eventually, it was moving so fast that she couldn't stop it.

And I don't understand.

Of course, I want redemption.

Social Services, the police, and everyone's against me,

so it's hard.

But someone has to put their foot down.

Believe me, if there's one thing I wish,

it's that someone else had taken my place.

[♪]

How much longer am I supposed to live with all this

so-called evidence hanging over my head?

How much longer am I supposed to sit here

and accept that it's just being dismissed?

She's ruined my life.

I don't care what happens to her.

I felt absolutely nothing for her. Nothing.

I didn't feel hatred. I didn't feel love.

I felt completely indifferent.

[woman on phone] You have to prepare yourself for the fact

that he's going to do this for the rest of your life.

What makes Håkan dangerous

is that he believes that he was wrongfully convicted.

And not

taking responsibility

will also prevent him from getting any kind of treatment.

It's clear that I was wrongfully convicted.

There's no such thing as normalization.

There's no documentation, no research.

There are witnesses who heard Carola admit

that she made it all up to gain custody of the children,

and financial compensation.

I'm going to get a retrial.

I finally have the proof in my hands.

And now I want to show it to them.

We've already written everything up.

Tomorrow, we'll go to the police station, and file a police report.

[tense music]

[Eva] Carola definitely didn't make up what happened.

There is absolutely no way. Why would she do that?

"EVA" CAROLA'S FORMER MOTHER-IN-LAW

What's in it for her?

It's her life that's been ruined.

[Anneli] Håkan was always saying in court,

"She did this. I have proof. I have proof."

But no evidence was ever presented.

There's nothing.

ANNELI HÅKAN'S EX GIRLFRIEND

Because there is absolutely

no evidence to support what he's claiming.

[solemn music]

[Björn] It's an investigation where the system has worked from start to finish.

From an anonymous tip someone called in to the police,

to convictions in the District Court,

and convictions in the Court of Appeals.

Then appealed to the Supreme Court.

They won't grant a retrial.

[♪]

We can help people who don't think they can be helped.

Today, law enforcement has a completely different set of tools

and skills than we did five or ten years ago.

[Tomas] Yes.

-Hi. -Hi.

[Tomas] It's very important to send a clear message.

You can't do this, because you'll be convicted.

[gentle music]

Children can be given reassurance.

This is not okay.

This is not how you're supposed to live.

And that's not unimportant.

[♪]

[Carola] The shame and the guilt

are never going to fully leave me.

[♪]

It's so much easier with your own feelings.

Putting a lid on them when it gets too hard.

But not being able to protect my children

and knowing I played a part in four children

growing up in misery.

[♪]

Children who grow up with parents like these become

very adaptable.

[♪]

[children shouting distantly]

But their own needs usually go unmet.

[speaking in another language]

I mean, my hope is that they will grow up with caring,

dependable adults,

who treat others with dignity and respect.

[laughing]

TODAY, CAROLA HAS SOLE CUSTODY OF THEIR CHILDREN.

[hopeful music]

SHE'S PUBLISHED A BOOK ABOUT HER EXPERIENCES.

HÅKAN HAS APPLIED FOR A RETRIAL TO TRY HIS CASE AGAIN,

BUT TO THIS DAY HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO PRESENT THE NECESSARY EVIDENCE.

[solemn music]

[♪]