Mohsen Asghari, 26, Assaults Postal Worker

A teenage woman was on her first solo shift at her summer job when Mohsen Asghari, 26, attacked her in a stairwell and raped her at knifepoint in broad daylight. Asghari has now been sentenced to prison.

Earlier this year, the young woman began her summer job at Postnord in Västerås. After a few training days, she was set to drive her first route alone on July 4.

The apartment building was the first stop on her route, and it was midday. As she was leaving the stairwell, Mohsen Asghari blocked her path with a knife in hand.

"I thought he was going to kill me," the woman said during questioning, explaining that she offered to hand over her valuables.

Instead, Asghari forced her into the stairwell and raped her while holding the knife.

The assault lasted about five minutes, and during the trial, the woman recounted her fear that Asghari would kill her.

At the scene, Mohsen Asghari's cap was left behind.

"The Brain Was So Lustful"

Mohsen Asghari stated that he saw the woman driving the postal van and decided to follow her.

"The brain was so lustful, I just wanted to have intercourse," he said in a police interview.

Through the cap, surveillance cameras in the area, and the woman's description, police were able to find images matching the perpetrator.

Before they could identify the man in the surveillance footage, he appeared at the police station in Avesta, three days after the assault.

According to his own account, he was there to confess and turn himself in. However, the station was closed, and he entered the nearest store.

Police had already identified Asghari through the police station's camera and arrested him minutes later.

He confessed immediately and consistently throughout the police investigation. Upon arrest, he told officers he didn't "understand what he was thinking" and asked if it was possible to apologize.

Prosecutor Dissatisfied

Asghari argued that the rape should not be considered aggravated and denied the harsher assessment during the trial.

However, the Västmanland District Court sided with the prosecutor and convicted Mohsen Asghari of aggravated rape. The court noted that the 26-year-old showed "particular ruthlessness."

The sentence is five years in prison, the minimum for aggravated rape. Prosecutor Jessica Wenna told SVT she would have preferred a longer sentence and may appeal the verdict.

Mohsen Asghari's lawyer, Martin Beskow, stated that his client has no plans to appeal, despite denying that the rape should be considered aggravated.

"We understand why the court judged it that way. He fully acknowledges what he did and takes as much responsibility as he can," he said.