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12 of 13 children deny abuse by accused Dane

The remaining child gave "indications" of abuse, but the 22-year-old Dane's lawyer says that the prosecutors have a weak case.

Published: 15 August 2014 09:51 CEST
12 of 13 children deny abuse by accused Dane
Around 100 people demonstrated in support of Thomsen outside of the US Embassy in Copenhagen. Photo: Simon Skipper/Scanpix
The trial of Malthe Thomsen, a 22-year-old Dane accused of sexually abusing children in New York, has been postponed by one month so that prosecutors can continue building their case, Danmarks Radio reported on Thursday. 
 
At a short court appearance in New York on Thursday, prosecutors were given until September 17th to build their case against the accused Dane. 
 
Thursday’s hearing revealed that all 13 of the children involved in the case have given video depositions and that 12 of them denied being sexually assaulted by Thomsen. 
 
The remaining child was said to have given “indications” of sexual abuse, but no further details were presented. 
 
 
Thomsen’s lawyer, Jane Fisher-Byrialsen, told DR that Thursday’s short hearing boded well for his case. 
 
“When they say that there is a child that has shown an indication that something happened, that means nothing to me. The children are questioned by the prosecutors and if they believed that whatever was said was so bad, then they should give us the material. But they refuse to give it to us and they would tell us what the child actually said,” she told DR. 
 
Thomsen is charged with sexually assaulting 13 children at an upscale international preschool in Manhattan. He was arrested on June 27th and held in Rikers Island, one of the US’s most notorious prisons, until released on bail on July 8th. Threats from other inmates resulted in his transfer to solitary confinement and in his first public interview he described his experience as “a nightmare”. 
 
“That type of thing [abusing a child, ed.] is something that I have always thought is one of the worst things possible. I can’t imagine doing some of the things they said,” Thomsen told DR in July.  
 
He has steadfastly denied the charges against him and the school found the allegations against him groundless in an internal investigation. 
 
Thomsen’s next court appearance will be on September 17th. While the case is ongoing, the Dane is outfitted with an electronic monitoring bracelet and is unable to leave Manhattan. 
 
Around 100 people protested outside of the US Embassy in Copenhagen on Thursday in support of Thomsen. 

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NEW YORK

Sex abuse case dropped against Dane in NYC

After a five month investigation brought on by a single co-worker's claims, all sexual abuse charges against a Danish intern at a Manhattan preschool were dropped.

Published: 14 November 2014 08:28 CET
Sex abuse case dropped against Dane in NYC
Malthe Thomsen is hugged by his mother Brigitte as he exits the State Supreme Courthouse in Manhattan on Thursday. Photo: Brendan McDermid/Scanpix
A long American nightmare is over for 23-year-old Danish citizen Malthe Thomsen. 
 
Thomsen was accused of sexually abusing 13 children at the upscale preschool where he worked in New York City. But on Thursday, all charges against Thomsen were dropped.
 
“We have determined that we cannot prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt,” the prosecutor, Rachel Ferrari, was quoted as saying by the New York Times. 
 
Thomsen was arrested on June 27th on charges that he sexually assaulted 13 children. The young Dane steadfastly denied the accusations and claimed that he was duped by police into making a false confession. 
 
Thomsen was held in Rikers Island, one of the US’s most notorious prisons, until being released on bail on July 8th. Threats from other inmates resulted in his transfer to solitary confinement and he has described the entire experience as “a nightmare”. 
 
The case against Thomsen began to fall apart in August, when a hearing revealed that all 12 of the 13 involved children denied being sexually assaulted by Thomsen. The remaining child was said to have given “indications” of sexual abuse, but no further details were presented. 
 
The International Preschool, where Thomsen worked as an intern, found the charges against him baseless in an internal investigation, and the allegations were said to have been based solely on the the claims of former colleague Mariangela Kefalas, a woman who Thomsen’s lawyer says was fired from the preschool for “creating so much drama”. According to the New York Times, Kefalas made her claims against Thomsen just days after being fired and is now suing the school for wrongful termination. 
 
Thomsen himself plans to file a lawsuit now that the charges have been dropped. 
 
“I am planning to seek compensation in order to clear my name and to clarify what happened. Plus, my parents have taken on a huge debt [in paying for legal fees, ed.] so I hope I can help them with that,” he told DR from court on Thursday. 
 
The Times reports that Thomsen’s parents mortgaged their house in Denmark and racked up $200,000 in legal fees. Private donations have helped to cover some of the costs, according to Danish media reports. 
 
Thomsen said the experience had soured him on the American justice system.
 
“This here is a system that simply doesn’t work,” he told DR. 
 
Speaking to the New York Times, he said he would return to the Copenhagen area and pursue his dream of working in a daycare institution. 
 
“That’s my passion. I won’t let one person and a crazy justice system ruin that,” Thomsen said.
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