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

Sarka confessed to rape, attempted murder, and weapons possession earlier on Wednesday. The crime occurred one afternoon in August 1999 when the victim was threatened with a pistol-like object and abducted from the beach at Bøtø, where she was with her mother and brother.

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

The case remained unsolved for 25 years. South Zealand and Lolland-Falster Police arrested Sarka last December and charged him with the crime.

Initially pleading not guilty, Sarka confessed in court on Wednesday. He admitted to threatening the girl, abducting her from the beach, and raping her. He also admitted to strangling her with the intent to kill her so that she could not report the incident.

In court, Sarka stated that he did not remember how he left the scene and that he did not confide in anyone about what he had done. He expressed shock at his arrest in December, stating that he did not believe the case could be connected to him. However, while in custody, he began to recall the events of 1999.

The judge emphasized the severity of the crimes committed against an 11-year-old girl. The judge noted that the sentence was determined as it would have been in 1999, when the offenses occurred.

Special Prosecutor Susanne Bluhm sought a minimum sentence of 12 years, while defense attorney Janus Malcolm Pedersen argued for no more than eight years.