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 Bøtø beach on Falster. The sentence was delivered in the Court in Nykøbing Falster, bringing closure to a case that has haunted investigators and the victim for over two decades.

The breakthrough in the case came through kinship searching, a method that involves using DNA databases to find relatives of potential suspects. In this instance, DNA traces from semen found on the victim’s bikini in 1999 were matched to a relative of Sarka, leading to his identification and subsequent DNA match with the evidence.

Retired investigator Bent Jørgensen, who led the initial investigation in 1999, expressed relief that the case has finally been resolved. He emphasized that the length of the sentence was less important than bringing the perpetrator to justice and providing closure for the victim. Jørgensen also highlighted the importance of preserving the DNA evidence, which proved crucial in solving the case decades later.

The attack occurred when the 11-year-old girl, who was with her family at the beach, wandered a short distance away. Sarka approached her, asked for the time, and then dragged her into a wooded area where he subjected her to a violent rape. He then attempted to murder her by strangulation, believing he had succeeded when she lost consciousness.

Sarka confessed to his crimes in court on Wednesday and accepted the nine-year prison sentence.