David Berntsen Lundin, a key figure in a violent crime wave in Gothenburg, escaped from a medium-security prison but was quickly recaptured. His sentence has been increased to 18 years for his involvement in attempted murder and other serious crimes. The escape has raised concerns about prison security and the allocation of resources in handling high-profile criminals.
David Berntsen Lundin's Escape Leads to Increased Sentence
David Berntsen Lundin's Escape Leads to Increased Sentence
David Berntsen Lundin, 24, escaped from custody.
David Berntsen Lundin, 24, was sentenced to 17 years and 10 months in prison by the Gothenburg District Court.
He played a central role as an instigator of attempted murder and other serious crimes in the wave of violence. Among other things, he allegedly recruited several child soldiers, one of whom was involved in a shooting that seriously injured a man at Kungsmässan in Kungsbacka.
Like the district court, the Court of Appeal now convicts the defendant of aiding and abetting attempted murder for participating in planning and providing a weapon.
The Court of Appeal increases the sentence by two months to 18 years in prison.
David Berntsen Lundin is identified as a leader in the so-called T-faction in Gothenburg, linked to leader Roman "The Russian" Tryfonenko.
After the Court of Appeal hearing, David Berntsen Lundin was placed in a temporary detention center at the Borås prison. On Sunday, September 14, he and another inmate escaped from the facility, which has a security class 2, in Borås.
"It's substandard. This just can't happen, it's not reasonable," said prosecutor Mats Ihlbom to Expressen.
But just a day after the escape, the two men were captured by police in Bollebygd.
"They were crawling around in the terrain near a wildlife fence. Still in the Prison Service's green clothes," said Morten Gunneng, the duty officer at the police, to Göteborgsposten.
The fact that David Berntsen Lundin ended up in a facility that does not have the highest security class, moreover, half an hour away from the entire criminal infrastructure where he has a leading role, was not well received by Mats Ihlbom and his prosecutor colleagues.
"We invest enormous resources from the police and prosecutors to investigate the most serious crimes. Then the next principal must ensure and secure the work we have done."
Acquitted of Instigating Attempted Murder
David Berntsen Lundin was also charged with involvement in two explosions in Partille and Angered in the fall of 2024. The district court convicted him of instigating public endangerment in two cases and instigating attempted murder of a man and a woman who were in one of the houses.
The Court of Appeal does not consider it proven that David Berntsen Lundin intended for anyone to die, and he is instead convicted of instigating gross unlawful threats against the people in the house. The Court of Appeal also reduces the damages to the man and woman.