Bakom lås och skärm: En studie av hur domstolar värderar chattmeddelanden som bevisning i mål som berör sexualbrott och brottslighet inom kriminella nätverk
(2023) JURM02 20232Department of Law
Faculty of Law
- Abstract (Swedish)
- I februari 2023 meddelade Högsta domstolen två avgörande domar angående bevisvärdering av indiciebevisning. Dessa domar har utlöst en debatt om bevisvärdering av indicier, inklusive chattmeddelanden och vittnesutsagor. I ljuset av en ökad debatt om rättvisa och rättssäkerhet, samt inflytandet av teknologin i rättssystemet, ägnas denna uppsats åt att undersöka hur domstolar bedömer chattmeddelanden och de potentiella problem som kan uppstå under bevisvärderingen.
Det övergripande syftet med uppsatsen är att fördjupa förståelsen av hur domstolar värderar chattmeddelanden som bevis i mål om sexualbrott och om brottslighet inom kriminella nätverk. För att göra detta undersöks inledningsvis de karakteristiska egenskaper hos chattmeddelanden... (More) - I februari 2023 meddelade Högsta domstolen två avgörande domar angående bevisvärdering av indiciebevisning. Dessa domar har utlöst en debatt om bevisvärdering av indicier, inklusive chattmeddelanden och vittnesutsagor. I ljuset av en ökad debatt om rättvisa och rättssäkerhet, samt inflytandet av teknologin i rättssystemet, ägnas denna uppsats åt att undersöka hur domstolar bedömer chattmeddelanden och de potentiella problem som kan uppstå under bevisvärderingen.
Det övergripande syftet med uppsatsen är att fördjupa förståelsen av hur domstolar värderar chattmeddelanden som bevis i mål om sexualbrott och om brottslighet inom kriminella nätverk. För att göra detta undersöks inledningsvis de karakteristiska egenskaper hos chattmeddelanden som bevisning. Genom en granskning av de i uppsatsen presenterade rättsfallen konstateras att chattmeddelanden visserligen används som indicier i brottmål för att stödja specifika bevistema och gärningsbeskrivning, men att bevisningen emellertid kan vara direkt bevisning i situationer där de omedelbart och tydligt stödjer en påstådd händelse eller ett faktum. Vidare föreslås en ytterligare klassificering av chattmeddelanden som kausal eller icke-kausal bevisning. Generellt anses chattmeddelanden vara kausal bevisning, orsakade av bevistema, men de kan också anses vara icke-kausal bevisning när de indikerar vilja eller motivation som driver en brottslig handling. Slutligen kan även nämnas att chattmeddelanden i förhållande till andra bevisfaktum oftast är beroende, men teoretiskt sett kan vara oberoende i de situationer de stödjer åtalet självständigt.
Genom att undersöka domskälen i sådana mål framgår det att chattmeddelandens funktion varierar mellan brottstyperna. I sexualbrottsmål används de ofta för att stödja målsägandens utsaga genom att bekräfta dess konsekvens, vilket anses problematiskt eftersom konsekvensen inte betraktas som ett pålitlighets-kriterium. I kriminella nätverksmål används chattmeddelandena för att skapa en tydligare bild av motiv, rollfördelning och brottets planering samt för att identifiera de i chattkonversationerna deltagande aktörerna. Beviskraften av chattmeddelanden bör generellt sett bedömas högre i dessa fall. I uppsatsen betonas också att digitala erkännanden från tilltalade ökar komplexiteten och kräver en balanserad tolkning.
Slutligen diskuteras de risker som förekommer vid användningen av chattmeddelanden som bevisning, inklusive att de kan inskränka oskuldspresumtionen genom att tolkas på ett felaktigt sätt och att de kan manipuleras och användas som en del av gärningsmannens brottsplan. (Less) - Abstract
- In February 2023, the Supreme Court announced two landmark judgments concerning the evaluation of circumstantial evidence. These rulings triggered a debate on the assessment of circumstantial evidence, including chat messages and witness testimonies. Considering an escalating discourse on justice, legal security, and the influence of technology in the legal system, this essay delves into examining how courts assess chat messages and the potential challenges that may arise during evidence evaluation.
The overarching aim of the essay is to deepen the understanding of how courts appraise chat messages as evidence in cases involving sexual offenses and criminal activities within illicit networks. To achieve this, the characteristic features... (More) - In February 2023, the Supreme Court announced two landmark judgments concerning the evaluation of circumstantial evidence. These rulings triggered a debate on the assessment of circumstantial evidence, including chat messages and witness testimonies. Considering an escalating discourse on justice, legal security, and the influence of technology in the legal system, this essay delves into examining how courts assess chat messages and the potential challenges that may arise during evidence evaluation.
The overarching aim of the essay is to deepen the understanding of how courts appraise chat messages as evidence in cases involving sexual offenses and criminal activities within illicit networks. To achieve this, the characteristic features of chat messages as evidence are initially explored. The analysis of presented legal cases reveals that while chat messages are indeed used as circumstantial evidence in criminal cases to support specific patterns of evidence and descriptions of events, but they can also serve as direct evidence in situations where they immediately and unequivocally corroborate an alleged incident or fact. Furthermore, a supplementary classification of chat messages is proposed, distinguishing between causal and non-causal evidence. Generally, chat messages are considered causal evidence, originating from the overall pattern of evidence. However, they can also be regarded as non-causal evidence when they indicate the intent or motivation driving a criminal act. Lastly, it is noted that chat messages, in relation to other pieces of evidence, are usually dependent, but theoretically can be independent in situations where they support the prosecution independently.
Examining the rationale behind court decisions in such cases reveals that the function of chat messages varies between different types of offenses. In sexual offense cases, they are often used to support the victim's testimony by confirming its consistency, a practice viewed as problematic since consistency is not deemed a reliability criterion. In cases involving criminal networks, chat messages are employed to create a clearer picture of motives, role distribution, and the planning of crimes, as well as to identify individuals participating in chat conversations. The evidential strength of chat messages should generally be assessed more positively in these instances. The essay also underscores that digital admissions from defendants add complexity and necessitate a nuanced interpretation.
Finally, the essay discusses the risks associated with using chat messages as evidence, including the potential infringement on the presumption of innocence through misinterpretation and the susceptibility of manipulation, incorporating them into a perpetrator's criminal plan. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9143044
- author
- Sadek, Maia LU
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- Behind Bars and Screens: A Study on How Courts Evaluate Chat Messages as Evidence in Cases Involving Sexual Offenses and Criminal Activity within Criminal Networks
- course
- JURM02 20232
- year
- 2023
- type
- H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
- subject
- keywords
- Indiciebevisning, Bevisvärdering, Sexualbrott, Kriminella nätverk, Mord, Försök till mord, Chattmeddelanden
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 9143044
- date added to LUP
- 2024-01-18 09:40:34
- date last changed
- 2024-01-18 09:40:34
@misc{9143044,
abstract = {{In February 2023, the Supreme Court announced two landmark judgments concerning the evaluation of circumstantial evidence. These rulings triggered a debate on the assessment of circumstantial evidence, including chat messages and witness testimonies. Considering an escalating discourse on justice, legal security, and the influence of technology in the legal system, this essay delves into examining how courts assess chat messages and the potential challenges that may arise during evidence evaluation.
The overarching aim of the essay is to deepen the understanding of how courts appraise chat messages as evidence in cases involving sexual offenses and criminal activities within illicit networks. To achieve this, the characteristic features of chat messages as evidence are initially explored. The analysis of presented legal cases reveals that while chat messages are indeed used as circumstantial evidence in criminal cases to support specific patterns of evidence and descriptions of events, but they can also serve as direct evidence in situations where they immediately and unequivocally corroborate an alleged incident or fact. Furthermore, a supplementary classification of chat messages is proposed, distinguishing between causal and non-causal evidence. Generally, chat messages are considered causal evidence, originating from the overall pattern of evidence. However, they can also be regarded as non-causal evidence when they indicate the intent or motivation driving a criminal act. Lastly, it is noted that chat messages, in relation to other pieces of evidence, are usually dependent, but theoretically can be independent in situations where they support the prosecution independently.
Examining the rationale behind court decisions in such cases reveals that the function of chat messages varies between different types of offenses. In sexual offense cases, they are often used to support the victim's testimony by confirming its consistency, a practice viewed as problematic since consistency is not deemed a reliability criterion. In cases involving criminal networks, chat messages are employed to create a clearer picture of motives, role distribution, and the planning of crimes, as well as to identify individuals participating in chat conversations. The evidential strength of chat messages should generally be assessed more positively in these instances. The essay also underscores that digital admissions from defendants add complexity and necessitate a nuanced interpretation.
Finally, the essay discusses the risks associated with using chat messages as evidence, including the potential infringement on the presumption of innocence through misinterpretation and the susceptibility of manipulation, incorporating them into a perpetrator's criminal plan.}},
author = {{Sadek, Maia}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Bakom lås och skärm: En studie av hur domstolar värderar chattmeddelanden som bevisning i mål som berör sexualbrott och brottslighet inom kriminella nätverk}},
year = {{2023}},
}