Danish educator wrongly accused of sexual abuse begins case against New York cops

Malthe Thomsen is asking for 43.3 million kroner in damages

Shifa Rahaman

Malthe Thomsen, the Danish pedagogue who was arrested in June of 2014 after being wrongly accused of sexual abuse at a New York nursery school, was questioned for eight hours during his first day back in court.

Read more: Trial begins for Danish educator who is suing New York for 48 million kroner in damages

Two lawyers representing the police department and one representing his former colleague, who reported him to police back in June of 2014, grilled Thomsen from 9.45am until 5.45pm on Tuesday – but his ordeal isn’t over yet, reports DR.

“Malthe is tired now. It is no fun having to live through the whole process again, but he did very well,” said his lawyer.

Confess…or else
He is attempting to sue the New York Police Department for 43.3 million kroner on charges relating to the so-called Reid Technique used by cops in New York during interrogation sessions.

Both Thomsen and his lawyer claim that the main reason they are suing is to ensure that methods like the Reid Technique are never employed during the questioning of a suspect.

“It is a kind of technique that prays on a suspect’s psyche to get them to confess – whether they’ve committed the crime or not,” said his lawyer, Jane Fisher-Byrialsen.

“The problem is that research shows that many innocent people confess to things they have not done [when these methods are employed].”

 

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