Taxi murderer yearns for freedom after 26 years

But it isn’t helping Seth Sethsen Nielsen’s chances that he refuses to take a psychological test

More than a quarter century after being sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a taxi driver, Seth Sethsen Nielsen has once again asked to be paroled.

But in order for the 57-year-old Greenlander to be released, prosecutor Zlatan Tajic has demanded that Nielsen submit to psychological testing, something he has refused to do.

“Why should I speak with the psychiatrists once more? The prison service doesn’t listen to what they say anyways,” Nielsen told Politiken newspaper. “They interpret things themselves and say that I am dangerous and crazy. No one can trust a system like that.”

Nielsen’s tenure as a free man came to a bloody end in the Copenhagen suburb of Albertslund on 19 October 1985, when he shot and killed 49-year-old taxi driver Kurt Gaarn-Larsen during a robbery.

Life sentences in Denmark are on average commuted after 17 years, and Nielsen’s 26 years behind bars makes him the second-longest currently serving prisoner in Denmark. He was last denied parole in December of 2011 because he was deemed to be dangerous. He has been denied parole six times earlier.

Tajic argued that a cannabis addiction and violence against fellow prisonsers are ample evidence that Nielsen poses a danger and should remain locked up.

“Without a danger assesment and accompanying mental examination parole is not justifiable,” Tajic told Politiken.

But Bjarne Fabech-Larsen, Nielsen's lawyer, believes that society has a responsibility to help his client, and if parole is denied once more, then he argued Nielsen should at least be able to meet with a social worker in prison.

“Prison guards are trained to keep people in prison, not help them get out. This isn’t the US, where people sit in prison for their entire life,” Fabech-Larsen told Politiken  “Denmark and it’s public sector has a responsibility to come up with some initiatives so that inmates – whether they are in for a limited amount of time or for life – can get out of prison.”

The Glostrup Municipal Court is scheduled to decide next week whether Nielsen should remain behind bars.

TOP STORIES

  • Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    After more than a decade living in Denmark, Russell shares why she made the move, how she’s coping, what she already misses, and the exciting new projects she’s working on. “It’s been a very tough decision. I love Denmark, and it will always hold a special place in my heart,” she says.

  • Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    The new Gefion AI supercomputer is one of the world’s fastest and will accelerate research and provide new opportunities in Danish academia and industry.

  • Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Experts believe it takes seven years to move into a new culture, according to leading Danish psychologist Jette Simon and therapist Vibeke Hartkorn. For expat couples, the challenges of starting a new life together in Denmark can put pressure on relationships, but emotions-focused therapy can help.

  • More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    Politicians debate a lot these days about when you can retire. The reality shows that an increasing number of Danes like to work, even if they can withdraw from the labor market. Financial incentives help.

  • Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Canadian-born environmental activist Paul Watson has been in prison in Greenland for almost 100 days awaiting an extradition decision for a 14-year-old offence against a Japanese whaling vessel that he calls a “minor misdemeanor”. The 73-year-old had previously passed through Ireland, Switzerland, Monaco, France and the USA without trouble, before Greenlandic police arrested him in July.

  • Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    When the Danish government in January presented the first of its schemes to make it easier to recruit foreign labour from outside the EU, it was hailed by the healthcare and service sectors as a timely and important policy shift. But while healthcare changes have been forthcoming, the service sector is still struggling, say the directors of the industry association Dansk Industri and one of the country’s largest private employers ISS.

Connect club

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.

Sign up here

Career

  • Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    On Friday 27 and Saturday 28 of September, The Copenhagen Post will be at International Citizen Days in Øksnehallen on Vesterbro, Copenhagen. Admission is free and thousands of internationals are expected to attend

  • Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Chisom Udeze, the founder of Diversify – a global organization that works at the intersection of inclusion, democracy, freedom, climate sustainability, justice, and belonging – shares how struggling to find a community in Norway motivated her to build a Nordic-wide professional network. We also hear from Dr. Poornima Luthra, Associate Professor at CBS, about how to address bias in the workplace.

  • Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality, home to Denmark’s largest infrastructure project – the Fehmarnbelt tunnel connection to Germany – has launched a new jobseeker support package for the accompanying partners of international employees in the area. The job-to-partner package offers free tailored sessions on finding a job and starting a personal business.

Want to advertise your job with CPH Post?

Contact us

Jobs