A Swedish court refused to deport an Iraqi citizen despite him being involved in multiple rape cases.Shakir Mahmoud, a 38-year-old, was sentenced by a Swedish district court to four years in prison for the rape of a 100-year-old elderly woman in Stockholm.At the time of the crime, the woman was suffering from chest pains, and instead of calling an ambulance, she was visited by her home care worker, Mahmoud, at which point he raped her.According to Expressen, Mahmoud was also previously acquitted of the rape of a 94-year-old woman. .Despite his conviction and his previous crime, he was allowed to stay in the country, as the court determined, due to his strong ties to Sweden.The judge in the case, Mohamed Ali, said Mahmoud, being in "good contact with his daughter, who is a Swedish citizen" should be allowed to stay in the country. Sweden's Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, wrote on X in reaction to the verdict, "if you are not a Swedish citizen and commit such terrible acts, you have used up your right to be in Sweden.""Next year, Sweden will have the toughest legislation in the entire Nordic region when it comes to deporting foreign citizens who commit serious crimes," he stated..Kristersson added, "I want to go even further and also review those parts of the Refugee Convention that hinder the deportation of refugees who commit crimes.""This coddling of serious criminals must stop. My government will always work to protect crime victims and their right to redress."Sweden's Minister of Migration, Johan Forssell, said on X he would not comment on the ongoing legal proceedings but wrote, "The previous Social Democratic government allowed Sweden to become a safe haven for convicted criminals.""That is outrageous. The government will next year present proposals that mean Sweden will have the toughest legislation in the entire Nordic region when it comes to deporting foreign citizens who have abused Swedish hospitality."."This includes, for example, increasing the number of criminal deportations sixfold and ensuring that the safety of crime victims outweighs the perpetrator's possible ties to Sweden."The prosecutor in the case, Prosecutor Linn Nyberg, has previously stated she will likely appeal the case. Shakir has also been previously convicted of forgery and false representation in public office.Last year, he had his driver's licence confiscated for a year after driving while high on drugs.
