Dan Diedrik Sarka, 57, has been sentenced to nine years in prison for the rape and attempted murder of an 11-year-old girl on a beach in Bøtø, Falster, in 1999. The verdict was delivered in the Court in Nykøbing Falster, and Sarka has accepted the sentence, according to his defense attorney.

The sentencing follows Sarka’s confession to rape, attempted murder, and possession of a weapon earlier on Wednesday. The crime, which occurred in August 1999, involved the abduction of the girl from Bøtø beach, where she was with her mother and brother. She was threatened with a pistol-like object and taken to a wooded area.

In the wooded area, the girl was raped and then strangled until she lost consciousness. Medical reports from the time indicated that she was in imminent danger of death.

The case remained unsolved for 25 years before South Zealand and Lolland-Falster Police arrested Sarka in December of last year. Initially, he pleaded not guilty in a preliminary hearing. However, he confessed on Wednesday in court, admitting to threatening the girl, taking her from the beach, and raping her. He also admitted to strangling her with the intent to kill her so she could not report the crime.

Sarka explained in court that he did not remember how he left the scene after the attack and did not tell anyone about what he had done. He expressed shock at his arrest in December, stating that he had not believed the case could be connected to him. While in custody, he began to recall the events of 1999.

During the sentencing, the judge emphasized the severity of the crime committed against an 11-year-old girl and stated that the sentence was determined based on the standards of the time the crime was committed.

Special Prosecutor Susanne Bluhm had requested a minimum sentence of 12 years, while defense attorney Janus Malcolm Pedersen argued for a sentence of no more than eight years. Bluhm expressed satisfaction with the verdict, citing the many aggravating circumstances.

The prosecution has not yet decided whether to appeal the sentencing to the High Court.