Stefan Holm is being charged with assault following an altercation with media personality Emil Persson at the Book Fair. The incident stems from an eight-year-old TV segment about Holm and his then 14-year-old son. Now the court must decide whether the Olympic champion is guilty of assault.
Sports Personality Stefan Holm be charged with simple assault following the confrontation with Emil Persson at the Gothenburg Book Fair on September 26. According to the prosecutor, Holm grabbed Persson by the throat, shoved him, and pushed him up against a pillar. The incident was captured on surveillance video.
An eight-year-old TV joke is behind the conflict
The background is a segment from Filip and Fredrik’s ”Breaking News” in 2018. In it, Persson expressed the prejudice that Patrik Sjöberg wanted to murder Holm. The question was repeated to Holm’s son Melwin, who was 14 at the time. Sjöberg rejected both claims.
During a police interview, Holm explains that he had long felt bad about the segment and that he wanted to take a stand against Persson.
– I’ve been carrying this around for eight years and feeling really awful for eight years. I guess I just wanted to stand up to him and stand up for myself and my son. I don’t think his behavior toward us has been okay.
The defense is challenging the indictment
Holm admits that he pulled on Persson's shirt but disputes the prosecutor's account of the incident. The defense attorney David Bardavid believes that the case should have been resolved with a summary penalty order for harassment or minor assault.
The Prosecutor Johanna Hellman refers to surveillance footage, photographs, and witness statements. Persson states that he was put in a chokehold and sustained injuries. Holm has apologized and stated that he has sought help for his behavior. A trial date has not yet been set.
Way to go, Stefan! Up against the wall with that bastard!!!!
That’s good, Stig. If I’d been feeling terrible for 8 years, I probably would have given Emil a ”beating” myself. BUT NOT with security cameras around. Patrik Sjöberg and Stefan Holm are surely telling the truth, but this Emil knows he could get damages or something like that. Sjöberg and Holm are, after all, our heroes in crucial moments. What is Emil Persson…? A PIECE OF SHIT.