The criminal trial of the man suspected of kidnapping a nine-year-old boy in Helsinki began on Wednesday behind closed doors in the city’s district court.
A 54-year-old man is accused of kidnapping and aggravated theft.
The man is suspected of kidnapping a child in the capital’s Kulosaari in April. According to the police’s information at the time, the suspect forced the boy into the car shortly before nine in the morning and started driving east of Kulosaari.
The suspect then sent a message to the child’s parents in an attempt to blackmail them. However, the child managed to escape when his captor drove him to Sipoo and tied him to a tree with a zip tie.
The court has reserved two days for the trial, which is not open to the public, so members of the media are not allowed to follow the trial.
In the reasons for keeping the trial private, the court stated that the case contains sensitive personal information about the parties involved. It said that if the trial was held in public, it could cause harm to those involved in the trial.
The court plans to decide later whether the verdict will be made public.
Source: The Nordic Page