Swedish man found guilty of storing dead body in freezer to cash in pension

A man was given a sentence of 3.5 years for cashing in his dead partner's pension. Photo / Getty Images

A Swedish court has sentenced a 57-year-old Norwegian man for fraud and falsifying records for putting his dead partner in a freezer and cashing in her pension. He was given a 3.5-year prison term.

The Warmland District Court said the man, who was not named, was convicted of gross breach of civil liberties, gross fraud and falsification of documents, among other things.

The man told investigators that he had put the Norwegian woman in a freezer after finding her dead in their home. The two lived in Arjang, which is about 340km west of Stockholm.

The court said the man had stored the body in a freezer which he also used to store food.

Investigators found the woman’s body in the freezer in March following a tip.

The man had told family and friends that the woman was still alive.

In a statement, the court said the man kept quiet about the death in order to get her pension from neighbouring Norway and a tax refund relating to the deceased partner, hence the fraud conviction. Prosecutors have said that the man had carried out “systematic” fraud involving about 1.3 million kronor ($197,299).

As for the document falsifications, the man changes of ownership and registrations of vehicles with the deceased’s name, the court said.