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

Sarka has accepted the sentence, according to his defense attorney. Earlier in the court proceedings, he confessed to rape, attempted murder, and weapons possession.

The crime occurred one afternoon in August 1999. The 11-year-old girl was threatened with a pistol-like object and abducted from Bøtø beach, where she was with her mother and brother.

In a nearby wooded area, she was raped, and subsequently strangled by the perpetrator until she lost consciousness. Medical reports from the time indicated that the girl’s life was in immediate danger.

The case remained unsolved for 25 years.

The South Zealand and Lolland-Falster Police arrested Sarka in December of last year and charged him with the crime. While he initially pleaded not guilty, he confessed during the court hearing in Nykøbing Falster.

He admitted to threatening the girl, abducting her from the beach, and raping her. He also confessed to strangling her with the intent to kill her so that she could not report the crime.