One died when horses ran over him – man sentenced to prison

A 70-year-old man died and several others were injured when horses ran over on Djurgården in Stockholm.

Now the Court of Appeal has upheld the sentence for the horse owner – to one year and three months in prison. News, reports and analyses in Sweden and around the world.

It was on June 17, 2023 that five horses ran away on Djurgården. Several people were injured, including a 70-year-old man who later died and his then 69-year-old wife.

The man who owns the horses conducts riding tours through the zoo and on the day in question had tied the horses at the restaurant Ulla Winbladh while he and his party ate there.

Two parents and their child avoided being run over by the horses but the elderly couple were hit. Both were taken to hospital but the man never woke up. He died after six months in hospital.

The horse owner was sentenced in the district court to one year and three months in prison for, among other things, gross negligence causing the death of another. He was also ordered to pay damages of 200,000 kronor to the widow.

The verdict is firm

The Court of Appeal agrees with the district court’s assessment and now confirms the prison sentence.

“The Court of Appeal also believes that the man’s actions – tying the horses to a restaurant without the possibility of them getting loose and then sitting on the outdoor seating – were negligent and caused the injuries and death,” says Petrus Rosell, one of the legal judges in the Court of Appeal, according to a press release.

However, there is one point where the assessment is more severe. The Court of Appeal believes that a plaintiff who was in a car is entitled to damages for infringement.

Denys the crime

During questioning, the man said that he had tied the horses to the same pole several times without any problems, but this time the poles went with them when the horses ran away.

He managed to stop two of the horses while the other three sped away.

– It is a relatively sturdy construction, but if several large, heavy horses get scared, which I understood they were, then that is a lot of force, the contractor said in an interrogation with the police.

The court and several witnesses emphasized the risk of leaving horses alone in an urban environment and considered the action to be particularly negligent.

The man was convicted against his denial.

– I deny it, I have no intention. I have done what I could to prevent it but unfortunately it happened. I am very worried mainly for the injured people and for the horses, the man said during questioning.

Difficult time for the family

In connection with the district court’s verdict, the family’s legal counsel Elham Arshamfar told Svenska Dagbladet that it had been a great shock and an incredibly difficult time for the family.

In questioning, the woman who lost her husband said that she went for a walk with her husband and another person but has no memories of the incident.

– I remember scattered images from the ambulance ride and then waking up in the emergency room. I have no images of the actual incident, the woman said in questioning after the incident.

She also says that she did not feel well after the incident.

– But it’s the situation with my husband that’s the hardest. It’s incredibly difficult, she said during the interrogation.