The Swedish Supreme Court has decided not to hear the case of John Walter, a five-year-old boy who drowned in 2021 after escaping from a residential care home in Hagfors. According to reports, the boy was placed in the HVB-home by Falu municipality in May 2021 despite his parents' objections. Approximately two weeks later, he fled the facility and was found drowned in a nearby river hours later.
Both Falu District Court and Svea Court of Appeal have previously cleared the municipality of responsibility for the incident. With the Supreme Court's decision not to review the case, the appellate court's ruling stands, maintaining the municipality's exoneration.
John Walter is completely without legal recourse, and we parents are too.
The family, represented by the legal organization Centrum för rättvisa, has announced plans to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights. The boy's father, Hans-Erik Sjöholm, expressed disappointment in a statement, saying 'John Walter is completely without legal recourse, and we parents are too.'
Alexandra Loyd, deputy head of Centrum för rättvisa, criticized the court decisions, stating: 'This is a tragedy. A child has died in society's care and according to the courts, no one can be held responsible. That is an incorrect assessment.'
This is a tragedy. A child has died in society's care and according to the courts, no one can be held responsible. That is an incorrect assessment.