Former guitarist of Sabaton Rikard Sunden has been convicted in a Swedish court of charges related to the sexual abuse of an 8-year-old girl and of possessing child pornography. According to Loudwire, he was found guilty of one count of child sexual abuse and six counts of possession of child pornography. He was then sentenced to nine months in prison and a fine of SEK 53,400 (which is a little over $6,000 in U.S. money). It was also revealed that he had molested his daughter’s friend during an overnight stay at their home. Authorities took two of the guitarist’s computers and a mobile phone that was said to possess six films of children engaging in sexual acts.
The friend, whose identity remains anonymous, claimed that late at night the Sunden had snuck into her room, lifted the blanket and had started to touch inside her clothing around her intimate parts. The victim’s friends eventually told her mother within a few days of the incident, who then reported it to the police last year. The musician also reportedly admitted to watching child pornography but denied that the films were his own and claimed that others had access to his computer and that there was a previous owner of his computer as well. He proceeded to claim that the phone was solely his but stated that he did not believe the subject of the film on his phone to have been underage.
Since the incident, his wife has filed for divorce and will be changing his last name to protect his children and their reputation. Since disbanding from Sabaton in 2012, he went on to join the band Civil War that same year and has continued to play with them until this year. He is now listed as a former member.
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