Denmark murder: Brothers jailed over Bornholm island case
- Published
Phillip Mbuji Johansen's body was found at a woodland campground on the island of Bornholm
A Danish court has jailed two brothers for 14 years for murdering a friend on the holiday island of Bornholm last summer.
The killing of Phillip Mbuji Johansen, who had a Danish father and Tanzanian mother, had stirred fears of racism.
However, no charges of hate crime were brought, even through prosecutors said they could not rule it out.
Magnus and Mads Moeller were found to have inflicted a prolonged and brutal attack on their victim.
They were found to have inflicted 39 separate wounds on their 28-year-old victim on 23 June.
Johansen's legs were broken and he suffered burns, stab wounds and brain damage in a sustained bout of violence that lasted at least 15 to 20 minutes, the court ruled. The brothers had beaten him with a wooden pole and a bottle, stabbed him with a knife and pressed a knee against his neck.
The forensic pathologist said she had never seen such severe injuries.
Racist motive 'could not be proved'
Danish authorities were criticised for not highlighting a racist motive in the murder but prosecutor Anna Moe told the court on Monday that they could not be sure of what was going on in the minds of the brothers at the time.
The murder happened at the time of Black Lives Matter protests around the world, including in Denmark, after the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.
Chief Prosecutor Benthe Pedersen Lund (R) said she was satisfied with the outcome of the case
The elder brother, 26-year-old Mads Moeller, had swastikas tattooed on his leg, but a witness denied in court that he was racist. The prosecutor said that while it could not be 100% denied that the motive was racist, she said they were unable to "prove it in a court of law".
'We're not racists here'
By Adrienne Murray, Denmark
The brutality of this murder has shocked many Danes.
From the beginning it stirred a heated debate about whether racism played a role, and public opinion is still divided on the issue.
A busload of Black Lives Matter protesters stood outside the court in Bornholm and spokesperson Bwalya Soerensen told reporters the trial was a farce.
Black Lives Matter protesters on Tuesday condemned the decision not to include hate crime charges in the case
However, some Bornholm residents staged a counter-protest, complaining that the focus on racism was unwarranted. One local told Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet: "They're abusing Phillip to get publicity. We are not racists here on Bornholm. We are a big family."
But others have argued that systemic problems are being overlooked and racism remains taboo in Denmark.
"The real purpose of this lawsuit is to acquit Denmark of racism," wrote author Carsten Jensen on Facebook, prompting several hundred comments in response.
While there have been vocal critics, other Danes have taken to social media saying authorities should be trusted to investigate and it should be left to the courts to decide.
After the verdict Chief Prosecutor Benthe Pedersen Lund was quoted as telling reporters that not only had a young man lost his life but two families had been destroyed by the murder.
The Moellers themselves had argued they had not intended to kill their victim, merely to teach him a lesson because they believed he had made sexual advances to their mother.
Lawyers acting for the two brothers had argued that their sentences should not exceed 12 years. The men have appealed against their conviction.
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