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Quick #4

Claes Borgström's scandal continues to unravel.


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STOCKHOLM — Thomas Quick aka Sture Bergwall has been granted a reopening of the case of the murders of the Norwegian women Trine Jensen and Gry Storvik, this according to an announcement by the Svea Court of Appeals.

The women were murdered in Oslo in 1981 and 1985. Quick was convicted of the murders in the district court of Falun in 2000.

Thomas Quick has previously been granted reopening of three murder cases. All three cases have since been dismissed - not so much in the light of new evidence as in light of the fact there never was any evidence at all.

Claes Borgström was Thomas Quick's defence attorney.

No Evidence 'For' Again

The hallmark of the present case - as with the earlier cases and the cases remaining after the present one - is that there never was any evidence to convict. Defence attorney Claes Borgström was expected to object to the situation but didn't. Not in any of the cases.

The verdict is based solely on Quick's confession and other testimony, wrote the Svea court. There was no supporting evidence - no witnesses or forensic evidence - whatsoever.

The verdicts in the three previous cases that were reopened have all been overturned. Quick's new attorney Thomas Olsson states his client will seek to reopen at least two further cases. Quick was convicted of eight murders in seven trials without a shred of evidence and without a single protest from attorney Claes Borgström.

Evidence 'Against' All Over the Place

But Svea Court of Appeals went a step further: not only is there no supporting evidence for a conviction, but evidence obtained at the time pointed dramatically towards an acquittal. This evidence was ignored by the court and not cited by Quick's attorney Claes Borgström.

  • Crime reconstructions. The Svea court found serious failings in this part of the investigation. Claes Borgström was present at the reconstructions and never voiced disapproval.
  • Forensic reports. The Svea court found the statements of the medical examiners to be in error, amongst other things for the time of death of Gry Storvik and the traces of blood and sperm found on her body and in her genital area. The court found these statements 'unreasonable'.
  • Time of death. The reports also set the time of death at 12:30 +/- three hours. But Quick told the Falun district court that he'd murdered her right after 01:00 in the morning.
  • Sperm and blood. The sperm and blood found on her body were not Quick's. This was known already at the time of trial by both the court and Claes Borgström. Claes Borgström said nothing.
  • Blood stains. The blood stains didn't match the type of violence Quick described for the court. Claes Borgström said nothing.

Why Didn't Claes Borgström Defend His Client?

The most serious question is why Claes Borgström did nothing. For he did nothing at all - he never once attempted to defend Thomas Quick or comment on or stay what's today regarded as the greatest travesty of justice in Swedish history.

But Claes Borgström did nothing. He attended a few crime reconstructions, he sat with his client in court (but did not meet him otherwise) and so was at the end able to pick up a cheque for the equivalent of US$500,000.

The definitive work on the Quick scandal by Hannes Råstam is due to be published posthumously later this spring.

Below: Borgström, attempting a comeback as the attorney of Anna Ardin and Sofia Wilén who succeeded in reopening the case against Julian Assange, accusing Assange of telling his lawyers to lie to the media. Borgström also dismisses repeated offers by Julian Assange for interrogation by Mutual Legal Assistance with the following.

'He should be treated like any other else [sic] who is suspected of a crime. He cannot have a special treatment just because he's Julian Assange.'

See Also
DN.se: Quick får resning i fler mord

Red Hat Diaries: Borgström & Quick
Red Hat Diaries: The Claes Borgström Interview
Industry Watch: Claes Borgström - Defence Attorney?

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