Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Utreda brott utan verktyg - när teorin hindrar praktiken: En granskning av tvångsmedelsanvändningen i resningsärenden

Larsson, Klara LU (2023) JURM02 20231
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract (Swedish)
De senaste decenniernas tekniska utveckling öppnar upp nya möjligheter för de brottsbekämpande myndigheterna att utreda brott. Att exempelvis få fram en sökbar DNA-profil från en 25 år gammal spermafläck ger dessutom hopp till att lösa kalla fall. I situationer där en misstänkt har friats i domstolen och det först senare uppdagas nya omständigheter eller bevis, kan det bli aktuellt med resning till men för den enskilde. I sådana situationer ska åklagaren återuppta förundersökningen och kontrollera det nya materialet. Uppsatsens syfte är att belysa åklagarens roll och utredningsmöjligheter i resningsärenden samt bidra till ökad kunskap inom resning som ett extraordinärt rättsmedel. Området för tillämpningen av utredningsåtgärder i... (More)
De senaste decenniernas tekniska utveckling öppnar upp nya möjligheter för de brottsbekämpande myndigheterna att utreda brott. Att exempelvis få fram en sökbar DNA-profil från en 25 år gammal spermafläck ger dessutom hopp till att lösa kalla fall. I situationer där en misstänkt har friats i domstolen och det först senare uppdagas nya omständigheter eller bevis, kan det bli aktuellt med resning till men för den enskilde. I sådana situationer ska åklagaren återuppta förundersökningen och kontrollera det nya materialet. Uppsatsens syfte är att belysa åklagarens roll och utredningsmöjligheter i resningsärenden samt bidra till ökad kunskap inom resning som ett extraordinärt rättsmedel. Området för tillämpningen av utredningsåtgärder i resningsärenden är tidigare outforskat och uppsatsen är den första i sitt slag.
Inom ramen för uppsatsen utreds resningsförfarandet till nackdel för den tilltalade samt åklagarens befogenheter att vidta utredningsåtgärder vid resning. Till sist diskuteras om åklagarens möjligheter till tvångsmedelsanvändning i resningsärenden bör utökas. Sammantaget kan sägas att resning till nackdel för den enskilde är ett exceptionellt undantag från domens rättskraft och det krävs mycket för att ett mål ska bli föremål för resning. Främst sker det i samband med att ny bevisning eller nya omständigheter uppdagas. Det krävs dessutom att brottet är grovt, att omständigheten eller beviset som läggs fram sannolikt hade ändrat målets utgång samt att åklagaren haft en giltig ursäkt att inte åberopa det nya materialet tidigare. Reglerna ger uttryck för de fall då sanningsprincipen anses prioriteras framför orubblighetsprincipen och motiveras framförallt ur ett brottsbekämpnings- och brottsofferperspektiv. Vidare saknas det regler om vilka utredningsåtgärder som får vidtas inom ramen för en återupptagen förundersökning. Samtidigt utläses det ur förarbetena att det sannolikt fanns en avsikt och vilja att reglera tvångsmedelsanvändningen. Bristerna i lagstiftningen är anledningen till att Högsta domstolen nekade åklagarens begäran av kroppsbesiktning mot en misstänkte mördare.
Därmed har uppsatsen även som avsikt att fungera som en juridisk grund i den politiska debatten gällande frågan om åklagarens utökade möjligheter till tvångsmedelsanvändning i resningsärenden. Argumentationen utgår från straffprocessens och resningsförfarandets funktioner och principer samt en del andra aspekter. Kort sagt motiveras utökade befogenheter för åklagaren dels ur ett brottsbekämpningsperspektiv men också ur ett praktiskt perspektiv, brottsofferperspektiv och mot bakgrund av ändamålen med resningsreglerna. Det är nästan omöjligt att utreda brott utan verktyg och förhoppningen är att teorin inom snar framtid inte längre hindrar praktiken. (Less)
Abstract
The technological development of recent decades opens up new opportunities for the law enforcement authorities to investigate crimes. As an example, obtaining a searchable DNA-profile from a 25-year-old sperm stain also provides hope for solving old cases. In situations where a suspect has been acquitted in court and new circumstances or evidence arise, it may be relevant to petition for a new trial to the individual’s disadvantage. In such situations, the prosecutor must resume the preliminary investigation and examine the new material. The aim of this essay is to notice the prosecutor's role and investigation possibilities in cases of new trials as well as contribute to increased knowledge within new trials as extraordinary remedies.... (More)
The technological development of recent decades opens up new opportunities for the law enforcement authorities to investigate crimes. As an example, obtaining a searchable DNA-profile from a 25-year-old sperm stain also provides hope for solving old cases. In situations where a suspect has been acquitted in court and new circumstances or evidence arise, it may be relevant to petition for a new trial to the individual’s disadvantage. In such situations, the prosecutor must resume the preliminary investigation and examine the new material. The aim of this essay is to notice the prosecutor's role and investigation possibilities in cases of new trials as well as contribute to increased knowledge within new trials as extraordinary remedies. This paper is the first of its kind since the area of coercive measures in cases of new trials is previously unexplored.
To fulfill its purpose, this thesis presents the judicial procedure of a new trial to the defendant’s disadvantage and the prosecutor’s ability to apply coercive measures in these cases. Furthermore, it is discussed whether the prosecutor's possibilities to use coercive measures in the investigation of new trials should be expanded. In summary, a new trial is only granted in exceptional cases and much is required for a case to be reopened. It mainly occurs when new evidence or circumstances arise. It is also required that the crime is serious, the new circumstance or evidence are likely to change the outcome of the case, and the prosecutor must have had a valid excuse for not referring to the new material earlier. The legislation expresses the cases where the principle of truth is considered to be prioritized over the principle of res judicata and are motivated mainly from a perspective of crime control and regards to victims of crime. Furthermore, there are no rules on which or when coercive measures may be used within the framework of a reinstated preliminary investigation. At the same time, the legislative history shows that there was probably an intention and desire to regulate the use of coercive measures. The deficiencies in the legislation are the reason why the Supreme Court denied the prosecutor's request for a strip search of a suspected murderer.
The essay also intends to serve as a legal basis in the political debate regarding the question of the prosecutor's expanded possibilities for the use of coercive measures in cases of new trials. The argumentation is based on the functions and principles of the Swedish criminal justice system, as well as some other aspects. In short, extended powers for the prosecutor are justified partly from a perspective of crime control, but also from a practical perspective, with regards to victims and against the background of the purposes of the legislation. It is nearly impossible to investigate crimes without tools and the hope is that in the near future, theory will no longer hinder practice. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Larsson, Klara LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
Investigate crimes without tools - when theory hinders practise: An investigation of the use of coercive measures in cases of new trials
course
JURM02 20231
year
type
H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
subject
keywords
straffrätt, straffprocessrätt, resning, tvångsmedel
language
Swedish
id
9115729
date added to LUP
2023-06-12 13:51:20
date last changed
2023-06-12 13:51:20
@misc{9115729,
  abstract     = {{The technological development of recent decades opens up new opportunities for the law enforcement authorities to investigate crimes. As an example, obtaining a searchable DNA-profile from a 25-year-old sperm stain also provides hope for solving old cases. In situations where a suspect has been acquitted in court and new circumstances or evidence arise, it may be relevant to petition for a new trial to the individual’s disadvantage. In such situations, the prosecutor must resume the preliminary investigation and examine the new material. The aim of this essay is to notice the prosecutor's role and investigation possibilities in cases of new trials as well as contribute to increased knowledge within new trials as extraordinary remedies. This paper is the first of its kind since the area of coercive measures in cases of new trials is previously unexplored. 
To fulfill its purpose, this thesis presents the judicial procedure of a new trial to the defendant’s disadvantage and the prosecutor’s ability to apply coercive measures in these cases. Furthermore, it is discussed whether the prosecutor's possibilities to use coercive measures in the investigation of new trials should be expanded. In summary, a new trial is only granted in exceptional cases and much is required for a case to be reopened. It mainly occurs when new evidence or circumstances arise. It is also required that the crime is serious, the new circumstance or evidence are likely to change the outcome of the case, and the prosecutor must have had a valid excuse for not referring to the new material earlier. The legislation expresses the cases where the principle of truth is considered to be prioritized over the principle of res judicata and are motivated mainly from a perspective of crime control and regards to victims of crime. Furthermore, there are no rules on which or when coercive measures may be used within the framework of a reinstated preliminary investigation. At the same time, the legislative history shows that there was probably an intention and desire to regulate the use of coercive measures. The deficiencies in the legislation are the reason why the Supreme Court denied the prosecutor's request for a strip search of a suspected murderer.
The essay also intends to serve as a legal basis in the political debate regarding the question of the prosecutor's expanded possibilities for the use of coercive measures in cases of new trials. The argumentation is based on the functions and principles of the Swedish criminal justice system, as well as some other aspects. In short, extended powers for the prosecutor are justified partly from a perspective of crime control, but also from a practical perspective, with regards to victims and against the background of the purposes of the legislation. It is nearly impossible to investigate crimes without tools and the hope is that in the near future, theory will no longer hinder practice.}},
  author       = {{Larsson, Klara}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Utreda brott utan verktyg - när teorin hindrar praktiken: En granskning av tvångsmedelsanvändningen i resningsärenden}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}