A Swedish court on Thursday sentenced an 18-year-old student to life in jail for killing two teachers with an axe in March, believed to be the youngest person to receive the sentence in Sweden’s modern history.
[ad]
The young man was arrested shortly after the attack at Malmo Latin School, a creative arts high school, which has more than 1,000 students in Sweden’s third-biggest city Malmo in southern Sweden.

“These are two very brutal murders where the victims greatly suffered and experienced severe fear of death,” judge Johan Kvart said in a statement, adding that the teen’s actions could not be seen as anything other than “particularly ruthless.”

The sentencing comes after the country amended a law under which young offenders used to receive more lenient sentences for grave crimes, and legal sources said the student is believed to be the youngest person to be given a life sentence in Sweden’s modern history.

The court said it had not been able to establish a clear motive.
[ad]
The young man admitted to the actions and told the court he felt there was no place in society for him, but said he expected to die in the attack.

A psychiatric evaluation showed the man was on the autism spectrum, but according to the court there was nothing to indicate that he was suffering from a “severe psychiatric disorder.”

The accused’s lawyer, Anders Elison, had however argued for a more lenient sentence due to his client’s psychiatric issues.

He told local media he would appeal the ruling.

A life sentence in Sweden technically has no end date, but after 10 years the prisoner can apply to have their sentence commuted to a specific prison term, which is often granted — meaning in practice a life sentence is on average 16 years, according to Sweden’s prison service.

[ad]