Five convicted in Halmstad extortion case targeting innocent family

In December last year, a family in Halmstad started receiving SMS messages from unknown persons about a debt they had nothing to do with. The district court convicts five people, according to official sources. Two men in their 20s are convicted of attempted extortion and aiding and abetting, respectively. Two youths are convicted and receive youth care. A man in his 40s is sentenced to prison for aiding and abetting attempted extortion, but also for aggravated unauthorized driving.

The suspected crimes began in mid-December last year, according to major media reports. The mother and a son in the family received SMS messages from an unknown sender, who claimed that the son owed the sender money, specifically 130,000 kronor. According to Expressen, the unknown sender demanded payment for a debt. On December 19, the two teenage boys went to the family's house and threw stones at the residence, major media reports indicate. The next day, the other three men returned to the house and stayed nearby, with the aim of trying to collect the debt, according to major media. Around the same time, the family learned that an ad had been posted on the platform Signal stating that two brothers in Halmstad, or their relatives, would be harmed, major media reports say. Out of fear that the ad referred to them, the family was forced to leave their house and cancel their plans for Christmas, according to major media. Late in the evening on December 23, a new SMS arrived, major media reports. According to Expressen, the unknown sender used aggressive language about the debt. It was another person, with the same name as one of the sons in the family, who had owed the men money, major media reports.

The family contacted the police, who placed them under protection, and surveillance cameras were set up around the house, according to major media. The police gave the family protection and were able to arrest two people who drove to the family's home to collect the debt five days later, official sources say.

The five family members who were targeted by the threats are awarded damages of just over 18,000 kronor each, according to official sources. Most of the damages are to be paid jointly by the convicted individuals, official sources confirm. The man in his 40s gets five months in prison for aiding and abetting attempted extortion, major media reports. They must also pay damages to the affected family, according to major media.

The perpetrators' anonymous client, behind a Snapchat account, has not been able to be identified. The police suspect that someone else gave the men the assignment, but it has not emerged who, major media reports. The identity of the person with the same name as one of the sons who actually owed the money remains unknown, and it is unclear how the extortionists initially got the family's contact information.

Five people were charged with the crimes – two men in their 20s, a man in his 40s, and two boys under 18, according to major media. Now all five involved in the scheme are convicted, major media reports. According to Expressen, the unknown sender acknowledged targeting the wrong family. In a later message, according to Expressen, the unknown sender mentioned resolving the debt and sent holiday greetings.