Dan Diedrik Sarka has been sentenced to nine years in prison for the 1999 rape and attempted murder of an 11-year-old girl near a beach in Bøtø on Falster. The verdict was delivered in the Court in Nykøbing Falster, bringing closure to a case that has remained open for over 26 years.

The breakthrough in the case came through kinship searching, a method that involves searching DNA traces against police registers to find relatives of the perpetrator. In this instance, semen DNA found on the victim’s bikini in 1999 was matched to a relative of Sarka, ultimately leading to his identification. Subsequent DNA testing confirmed a match between Sarka and the DNA on the bikini with the highest possible probability.

Bent Jørgensen, the chief investigator on the case in 1999, expressed his satisfaction with the outcome. Although retired, he was present in the audience during the sentencing. Jørgensen emphasized that the exact length of the prison sentence was not the primary concern, but rather the fact that the case was finally resolved. He also commended the efforts to secure the DNA evidence at the time, despite challenges posed by water contamination of the bikini.

The victim, who was with her family on the beach when the incident occurred, was approached by Sarka, who initially asked her the time. He then dragged her into a wooded area where he committed the assault. Sarka confessed in court to the rape and attempted murder, including strangling the girl until she lost consciousness, believing he had killed her.