A 40-year-old Romanian citizen has been charged with rape following an incident at the Roskilde Festival in 2022, after police used a genetic kinship search to identify him. The man, who was at the festival as a bottle collector, pleads not guilty.

The case centers around an alleged rape that occurred on June 27, 2022, when a 22-year-old woman reported being raped in a grassy area at the festival.

Police were able to collect evidence at the scene, including a phone, a black cap, and a bag of bottles.

The phone’s call list led them to an initial suspect, but DNA evidence from the woman’s genitals ruled him out.

Authorities then used a newer DNA-based investigation method called genetic kinship search and were able to link the DNA traces to a relative of the initial suspect.

This led them to the 40-year-old man, who was arrested on February 1 at a hotel in Copenhagen.

A DNA comparison confirmed a match between him and the traces found on the woman.

In court, the man admitted to having had sex with the woman, but claims it was consensual. He stated that the woman kissed him and said the word “sex,” which he understood.

He acknowledged that the bag and phone found at the scene were his.

The man initially denied being at the Roskilde Festival at the time of the incident but has since changed his story, claiming he was afraid of being beaten by the police for leaving the area in 2022.

The trial began Monday in the Roskilde Court, and a verdict is expected on September 18 after three days of court proceedings.