Easier to Be Convicted of Rape Than Unlawful Threat

This is a column by political commentator Oisín Cantwell discussing findings from a Swedish legal analysis comparing conviction rates for rape versus unlawful threats. The author highlights that in a sample of court cases where evidence consisted mainly of the complainant’s account and related context, about 90 % of rape cases led to conviction, whereas only 18 % of unlawful threat cases did. The article explores possible reasons for this discrepancy, including differences in how courts value evidence and the influence of public debate on judges, and raises questions about consistency in Sweden’s justice system.