Dane suing New York for 48 million kroner over false sex abuse case

All charges were dropped after five months in custody

Malthe Thomsen, the Danish man falsely accused of sexually abusing preschool children under his care in New York last year, is seeking seven million dollars (48 million kroner) in compensation for the five months that he was detained in custody – first in Rickers Island jail and then under GPS tracker in Manhattan.

All charges against the 23-year-old were dropped in November last year after months of investigation following accusations by a co-worker in June.

“No amount can make up for the things that I and my family have been through,” Thomsen told DR Nyheder.

“We want compensation for the torment and the expenses.”

Call for procedure change
In addition to the compensation, the lawsuit demands that the police change its procedure for the interrogation of suspects, including its use of the controversial Reid Technique method of questioning.

“Frankly we think it’s a disgrace that they don’t record their interrogations of suspects at the police station,” Thomsen’s lawyer Jane Fisher-Byrialsen told DR.

“There is a big risk of false confessions when they are interrogated under the Reid Technique.”

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