Peter Als Anderson

Sources

1. Dansk voldtægtssag ryster eksperter – mand idømt et års tavshed af kirke, TV 2 Nyheder (Denmark), November 11, 2024.
2. Danish rape case shakes experts – man sentenced to a year of silence by church, TV 2 Nyheder (Denmark), November 11, 2024.

• 1. Dansk voldtægtssag ryster eksperter – mand idømt et års tavshed af kirke

  • 20241111
  • News article
  • TV 2 Nyheder (Denmark)

  • original
  • archived
  • back to list

  En forårsnat i 2013 vågnede Kiran Vesterholm pludselig op.

  Det sidste, hun kunne huske fra aftenen før, var, at hendes mand, Peter, havde lavet hende en ekstra kop te inden sengetid.

  Nu var hun blevet vækket af en lyd, og selvom hun var noget omtumlet, forstod hun pludselig, hvad der skete.

  Hendes mand var i færd med at voldtage hende.

  Igennem flere år havde Kiran Vesterholm følt, at hun var ved at blive sindssyg. Hun gik ud som et lys, når hun lagde sig på sengen om aftenen og var stadigvæk træt og groggy, når hun vågnede.

  Men nu faldt brikkerne på plads.

  Da hun efterfølgende konfronterede sin mand med, hvad der var sket, erkendte han straks, fortæller hun.

  Han havde både bedøvet og voldtaget hende.

  Ude af sig selv – og fyldt med skyld og skam – undlod hun at gå til politiet og anmelde sin mands grove overgreb.

  I stedet henvendte parret sig til ledelsen i deres kirke – Jesu Kristi Kirke af Sidste Dages Hellige, også kendt som mormonkirken – for at få hjælp.
  Som teenager begyndte Kiran Vesterholm i mormonkirkens dansegruppe. Det var her, hun mødte Peter, der var kendt i kirken, eftersom hans familie havde flere ledende poster i kirken. Hun syntes, han var charmerende, god til at tale og danse. Foto: Privatfoto

  I kirken blev den øverste ledelse gjort bekendt med overgrebene. Men i stedet for at anmelde det strafbare forhold, blev Kiran Vesterholms mand dømt i kirkens eget system, fortæller hun.

  I dokumentaren ’Tro, håb og voldtægt’ står Kiran Vesterholm frem og fortæller sin historie, som ryster flere eksperter.
  TV 2 Play
  Tro, håb og voldtægt

  For kirkens alternative håndtering af det strafbare forhold løste intet.

  Det gjorde det tværtimod muligt for Kiran Vesterholms mand at fortsætte de natlige overgreb, fortæller hun.

  Mormonkirken afviser overfor TV 2 at drive parallelle domstole eller retssystemer.
  51-årige Kiran Vesterholm er uddannet læge. Hun mødte Peter i en tidlig alder, og de stiftede hurtigt familie. Foto: Carsten Overbye / TV 2
  Et helligt ægteskab, der varer evigt

  Kiran Vesterholm er kommet i mormonkirken, siden hun var barn. Hun fandt tryghed og fællesskab i kirken, og allerede som teenager mødte hun Peter, der også var medlem af kirken.

  De to blev forelskede og giftede sig tidligt – hun var 21 og han 24 år.

  I løbet af de næste år fik de tre børn.

  I mormonkirken bliver man opfordret til at stifte familie tidligt – sex før ægteskabet er nemlig forbudt. Det samme er indtag af alkohol, tobak og kaffe.

  Ægteskabet i mormonkirken er helligt. Kirken fordømmer i udgangspunktet skilsmisse, fordi det er et brud på Guds plan.
  Kiran og Peter fik i alt tre børn. De er i dag 18, 21 og 24 år. Foto: Privatfoto

  Det forklarer Lisbet Christoffersen, der er professor i ret og religion på Roskilde Universitet, RUC.

  - Når man bliver gift med nogen på jorden, varer ægteskabet evigt, forklarer hun.
  Om Jesu Kristi Kirke af Sidste Dages Hellige

  Kirken blev grundlagt i 1830 og er en af de hurtigst voksende bevægelser i verden.

  Mormoner tror blandt andet på et evigt liv efter døden og ønsker at få så mange som muligt ind i kirken, så de også kan få evigt liv.

  Bevægelsen betegner sig selv som kristen, men anerkendes ikke sådan af den traditionelle kristne kirke.

  Der er omkring 4500 medlemmer af mormonkirken i Danmark, fordelt på 22 menigheder. På verdensplan er der cirka 17 millioner medlemmer.

  Der findes en række regler og råd i kirken, blandt andet at man skal gifte sig med en af modsatte køn, missionere, betale en vis procentdel af sin indkomst til kirken, undgå sex før ægteskab og være iført helligt mormonundertøj.

  Kirken har helt fra begyndelsen været i konflikt med omverdenen, blandt andet fordi den i begyndelsen var fortaler for flerkoneri. Stifteren bag mormonkirken Joseph Smith havde selv 40 koner, den yngste var 14 år. Hovedorganisationen er dog ikke længere for flerkoneri.

  Undervejs begyndte Kiran Vesterholm og Peters ægteskab dog at slå sprækker.

  Kiran Vesterholm følte, at hendes mand blev mere og mere fraværende, og at hun stod alene med pligterne i hjemmet.

  Nogenlunde samtidig begyndte den mystiske træthed at melde sig.

  - Jeg følte, at noget ikke var som det skulle være. Jeg faldt i søvn med det samme og sov i lang tid, men følte mig stadigvæk ikke udhvilet. Det skete en del gange. Jeg troede måske, jeg var depressiv, forklarer hun.

  I flere år kæmpede Kiran Vesterholm med at forstå, hvorfor hun konstant var træt.

  Indtil den dag i 2013, hvor det gik op for hende: Hendes mand havde bedøvet og voldtaget hende – noget hun selv vurderede måtte være sket mindst 30-40 gange i årene op til.
  Kiran Vesterholm har ført dagbog i perioden, hvor overgrebene skete og har flere gange noteret, hvad der foregik. Foto: TV 2

  Hun gik dog ikke til politiet, fordi hun var bange for konsekvenserne og skammen fyldte meget i hende.

  - Jeg var i en meget sårbar situation. Hele mit liv var bygget op omkring kirken og vores omgangskreds der. Jeg havde ikke andet. Jeg kunne ikke overskue, at vi havde tre små børn, og han skulle i fængsel. Jeg kunne heller ikke overskue skammen, den nedværdigelse det var, at alle skulle vide det her, fortæller hun.

  Sammen søgte parret råd hos kirkens daværende øverste leder, stavspræsidenten Erik Bernskov.
  Kirken gav ham en straf

  Når der er konflikter i ægteskaber mellem mormoner, er det almindeligt, at den øverste ledelse i mormonkirken træder til.

  Ifølge Kiran Vesterholm erkendte Peter overfor stavspræsidenten, at han havde bedøvet og voldtaget sin hustru.

  En alvorlig straffelovsovertrædelse, der kan give op til flere års fængsel. Sammen med sine rådgivere og kirkens højråd tog stavspræsidenten sagen op i den mormonske kirke. Peter blev ikke anmeldt til politiet.

  Men i stedet for at melde det til politiet valgte stavspræsidenten at tage sagen op med sine to rådgivere og højrådet bestående af 12 personer og stille Peter for den mormonske kirkeret.
  Kiran Vesterholm og hendes mand var tilknyttet Jesu Kristi Kirke af Sidste Dages Hellige på Frederiksberg. Foto: Mikael Ib Hansen / TV 2

  Alle i kirkens ledelse er mænd.

  Efter et møde kom de frem til, at Peter ikke længere måtte sige noget i kirken og ved møderne. Han måtte fortsat komme der, men altså uden at deltage i fællesskabet. ”Straffen” endte med at vare et år, så kunne Peter igen deltage på lige fod med andre i kirken, fortæller Kiran Vesterholm.

  Selv fik hun ingen hjælp, siger hun.

  - Der blev ikke taget hånd om mig overhovedet. Det var et spørgsmål om at tage hånd om ham og sørge for, at han ikke forlod kirken. Man sørgede for at holde på ham, forklarer hun.
  Fokus på at frelse en synder

  At ledelsen hverken anmeldte eller ekskluderede Peter fra kirken, kommer ikke bag på professor i ret og religion på RUC Lisbet Christoffersen.

  Hun forklarer, at den vigtigste mission for medlemmer af Jesu Kristi Kirke af Sidste Dages Hellige er medlemmernes situation i evigheden.

  - Deres fokus er på, at en synder bliver frelst og hjulpet tilbage på rette vej, forklarer hun.

  Hun forklarer samtidig, at mormonkirken har en lang tradition for at undgå myndighederne og finde ”løsningerne” på både etiske, men også strafferetslige problemer i Bibelen i stedet.

  - Kirken har altid været i konflikt med det omkringliggende samfund. Det ligger i deres DNA, at det er ”samfundet mod os”. Det ikke, fordi de vil trodse samfundets regler, men hvis der opstår konflikt, er det altid guds regler, der er de rigtige, forklarer hun.

  Et medlem af samme kirke som Kiran Vesterholm kom i, bakker op om Kiran Vesterholms opfattelse.

  Biskop Lasse Meilsøe har nemlig valgt at stå frem, da han ligesom Kiran Vesterholm er bekymret over kirkens håndtering af en sag som denne.
  - Kirkens ry skal sikres

  Han kender til Kirans sag og bekræfter, at kirken driver sit eget parallelle restsystem – kirkeretten. Han fortæller, at kirken i mange situationer er vigtigere end medlemmet.

  - Stavspræsidenten er lederen af sådan en retssag. Og Højrådet har til opgave at sikre kirkens ry og rygte. Der er ikke nogen af de 12 Højrådsmedlemmer, som har til opgave at sikre retssikkerheden eller offerets oplevelse eller beskyttelse, forklarer han.
  Lasse Meilsøe er fortsat medlem af Jesu Kristi Kirke af Sidste Dages Hellige. Han forstår ikke, at hans kirke ikke tager afstand fra Peter, efter hvad han har gjort. Han mener, at kirken bør se indad og være mere opmærksom på ofre i sager som disse. Foto: TV 2

  Efter Peter havde fået sin ”straf” af kirken, gik det bedre i ægteskabet.

  I 2015 flyttede parret med deres børn to år til USA. Men der gik ikke lang tid, før Kiran Vesterholm igen begyndte at sove mærkeligt.
  Endnu et overgreb

  Peter kom nu med et skriftligt løfte. En form for erklæring, hvor han lovede ikke at gøre det igen.

  ”Dette dokument er til dig for at vise, at jeg er overbevist om, at jeg aldrig nogensinde vil overgribe mig på dig – på nogen måde igen", stod der blandt andet.
  Dele af Peters aftale med Kiran, hvor han lover ikke at forgribe sig på hende igen. Foto: Privatfoto

  Alligevel fortsatte overgrebene. Ifølge Kiran Vesterholm orienterede hun løbende stavspræsidenten om overgrebene fra 2013 til 2018.

  Kirken benægter i et skriftligt svar overfor TV 2, at de løbende er blevet orienteret om overgrebene.

  I 2018 vågnede Kiran Vesterholm endnu gang op ved, at hendes mand var ved at gøre sig klar til at voldtage hende, fortæller hun.

  Hun kunne tilmed mærke en rest fra en sovepille ved sin underlæbe.
  Hængelås på døren

  Efter episoden gik Kiran Vesterholm og hendes mand igen til et højtstående medlem af kirken, fortæller hun. Han var i familie med Peter, medlem af højrådet og biskop. Kiran fortalte, at overgrebene fortsatte.

  Biskoppen sendte dem herefter en mail med en løsning, hvor han blandt andet foreslog, at Kiran Vesterholm kom en dirkefri lås på døren.

  ”Vi blev i dag enige om, at der straks sættes en dirkefri lås på jeres soveværelse, og kun Kiran har nøglen til døren, så Kiran kan få sit sikre space, hvor Kiran altid ved, at hun kan være i sikkerhed – også i sovende tilstand”
  TV 2 Play
  Tro, håb og voldtægt

  I mailen var også et billede af en mulig lås.

  Kiran Vesterholm skulle altså sikres fra sin mands overgreb ved at låse sig inde på sit værelse.
  Kiran Vesterholm og hendes mand modtog en mail fra biskoppen og medlem af højrådet. Han sendte blandt andet et foto med en mulig lås på døren. En skydelås, der fjernede problemet med, at Peter evt. ville kunne kopiere en nøgle. Foto: TV 2

  I dag ser Kiran Vesterholm tilbage på mailen med hovedrysten.

  - De skulle jo få mig væk fra ham. Jeg var jo ikke i et sikkert space. Jeg skal jo ikke låse mig inde på mit soveværelse. Det er helt vanvittigt, siger hun.

  I mailen foreslog biskoppen også, at hun og hendes mand inddrog børnene i problemet og forklarede dem, hvorfor der skulle en hængelås på morens dør. De skulle have at vide, at deres far er sexafhængig, og at det var synd for ham.
  I mailen foreslår familiemedlemmet og biskoppen også, at parret informerer deres børn om voldtægterne. De skal forklare børnene, at det er synd for Peter, at han er sexafhængig. Foto: TV 2
  Til sidst blev det for meget

  TV 2 har forelagt juraprofessor emerita Eva Smith og tidligere anklager Stine Dahl hele sagen om Kiran Vesterholm.

  De er begge chokerede over, at kirkens ledelse har forsøgt at løse en straffelovsovertrædelse, som de har pligt til at melde til politiet, i kirkens eget system.

  Det kan i sig selv være strafbart at undlade at handle, hvis man er vidende om, at overgrebene fortsætter.

  - Det kan man jo ikke have i et retssamfund. Der er man jo nødt til at sige, der er ikke noget, der hedder kirkeret. Der er ikke noget, der hedder, at I har jeres eget retssystem ved siden af vores retssystem, lyder det fra juraprofessor emerita Eva Smith.

  Tidligere anklager Stine Dahl kalder det sørgeligt, at der blev lavet foranstaltninger for, at Kiran Vesterholm ikke kunne blive voldtaget.

  - Der er også noget problematisk i, at kirken har kendskab til, at der foregår nogle ting i et hjem med børn. Man har jo pligt til at handle, hvis man har kendskab til, at der foregår ting, som kan sætte børn i en situation, der går ud over deres sundhed og trivsel, tilføjer hun.

  Efter overgrebet i 2018 og forslaget om hængelåsen var Kiran Vesterholm ved at indse, at hun ikke kunne overleve i forholdet længere.
  Kiran Vesterholm skrev også i sin dagbog den nat i 2018, hvor hun vågnede op ved, at "Peter smører creme ved hendes numsehul". Foto: Privatfoto

  Hun endte med at søge om skilsmisse fra Peter og meldte sig efterfølgende ud af mormonkirken.

  Men først i efteråret 2022 følte hun sig klar til at gå til politiet og anmelde sin eksmand for overgrebene.
  Peter ændrer forklaring

  Hos politiet afleverede hun mails, Peters skriftlige tilståelse og sine dagsbogsnotater. Derudover var der en række vidner, der havde hørt om overgrebene.

  Midt om natten 28. september 2022 blev Peter anholdt i sit hjem. Han erkendte over for politiet, at han flere gange havde bedøvet og begået overgreb mod Kiran.

  Men da sagen skulle for retten, var der pludselig sket en ændring i den forklaring.

  Nu ville Peter kun vedkende sig overgreb frem til 2013, altså lige inden kirkens ledelse blev involveret.

  Peter endte med at blive idømt to år og tre måneders fængsel, heraf seks måneder ubetinget for i to tilfælde at have bedøvet og voldtaget Kiran. Hele perioden mellem 2013 og 2018, hvor ledelsen i kirken, ifølge Kiran Vesterholm, vidste besked, var ikke en del af dommen.

  Det undrer tidligere anklager Stine Dahl.

  - Man har jo lagt hans forklaring til grund, på trods af at der umiddelbart er masser af beviser, der indikerer noget andet, siger Stine Dahl.

  TV 2 ville gerne have spurgt politi og anklagemyndigheden, hvorfor de ikke rejste sagerne fra 2013 til 2018, som Peter havde tilstået, og hvor der var en række skriftlige beviser.
  TV 2 Play
  Tro, håb og voldtægt

  Vi ville også gerne høre, hvorfor sagen blev skåret til, så man undlod lige præcis den periode, hvor mormonkirken havde kendt til voldtægterne.

  Men hverken Københavns Vestegns Politi eller anklagemyndigheden vil stille op til interview.

  I dag står Kiran Vesterholm tilbage med en følelse af, at hun er blevet svigtet to gange.

  - Jeg var blevet svigtet i det religiøse samfund, jeg var en del af. Og så bliver jeg også svigtet af retssamfundet. Det er virkelig…. Det er hårdt, siger hun.
  I dag beskriver Kiran Vesterholm, at hun er et bedre sted. Hun bor sammen med kæresten Thomas. Foto: TV 2

  Til trods for de mange års overgreb er hun dog begyndt at få det bedre.

  Hun håber, at hun ved at stå frem med sin historie, kan give andre modet til at stå frem.
  Mormonkirken afviser at kende til overgreb efter 2013

  Mormonkirkens nuværende ledelse ønsker ikke at stille op til interview.

  Kirken afviser at drive parallelle domstole eller retssystemer og understreger, at kirkerettens afgørelser handler om åndelige og religiøse forhold.

  Kirken bekræfter, at den kender til voldtægter i 2013, men afviser at kende til overgreb efter 2013.

  Mormonkirken skriver til TV 2, at den flere gange opfordrede Kiran Vesterholm til at gå til politiet. Kirken gik ikke selv til myndighederne, fordi parret ikke ønskede det, skriver de. Kirken skriver også, at den rådede Kiran Vesterholm til at forlade Peter.

  TV 2 har forelagt Kiran Vesterholm kirkens påstande. Hun kan ikke genkende kirkens udlægning og fastholder sin egen forklaring.

  Kiran Vesterholms eksmand Peter ønsker ikke at stille op til interview. Peter afviser at have begået andre strafbare forhold end de to voldtægter, han er dømt for.

  Du kan se 'Tro, håb og voldtægt' mandag klokken 20 på TV 2 eller allerede nu på TV 2 PLAY.

• 2. Danish rape case shakes experts – man sentenced to a year of silence by church

  • 20241111
  • News article
  • TV 2 Nyheder (Denmark)

  • original
  • archived
  • back to list

  [This is an automated translation from Danish to English, provided by Google, of the article at: https://nyheder.tv2.dk/2024-09-03-dansk-voldtaegtssag-ryster-eksperter-mand-idoemt-et-aars-tavshed-af-kirke]

  Kiran Vesterholm was drugged and raped several times by her husband. When the leadership of the Mormon church became aware of the abuse, they did not go to the police.

  One spring night in 2013, Kiran Vesterholm suddenly woke up.

  The last thing she could remember from the night before was that her husband, Peter, had made her an extra cup of tea before bed.

  Now she had been awakened by a sound, and although she was somewhat dazed, she suddenly understood what was happening.

  Her husband was about to rape her.

  For several years, Kiran Vesterholm had felt like she was going crazy. She would go out like a light when she lay down in bed at night and would still be tired and groggy when she woke up.

  But now the pieces fell into place.

  When she subsequently confronted her husband about what had happened, he immediately admitted it, she says.

  He had both drugged and raped her.

  Out of her mind – and filled with guilt and shame – she failed to go to the police and report her husband's serious abuse.

  Instead, the couple turned to the leadership of their church – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon Church – for help.
  As a teenager, Kiran Vesterholm joined the Mormon Church's dance group. It was here that she met Peter, who was well-known in the church, as his family held several leading positions in the church. She thought he was charming, good at talking and dancing. Photo: Private photo

  The church's senior leadership was made aware of the abuse. But instead of reporting the crime, Kiran Vesterholm's husband was convicted in the church's own system, she says.

  In the documentary 'Faith, Hope and Rape', Kiran Vesterholm comes forward and tells her story, which shakes several experts.
  TV 2 Play
  Faith, hope and rape

  Because the church's alternative handling of the criminal matter solved nothing.

  On the contrary, it made it possible for Kiran Vesterholm's husband to continue the nightly assaults, she says.

  The Mormon Church denies to TV 2 that it operates parallel courts or legal systems.
  51-year-old Kiran Vesterholm is a doctor by training. She met Peter at an early age, and they quickly started a family. Photo: Carsten Overbye / TV 2
  A holy marriage that lasts forever

  Kiran Vesterholm has been in the Mormon Church since she was a child. She found security and community in the church, and as a teenager she met Peter, who was also a member of the church.

  The two fell in love and married early – she was 21 and he was 24.

  Over the next few years they had three children.

  In the Mormon Church, people are encouraged to start a family early – sex before marriage is forbidden. The same goes for the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and coffee.

  Marriage in the Mormon Church is sacred. The church fundamentally condemns divorce because it is a violation of God's plan.
  Kiran and Peter had a total of three children. They are now 18, 21 and 24 years old. Photo: Private photo

  This is explained by Lisbet Christoffersen, professor of law and religion at Roskilde University, RUC.

  - When you marry someone on earth, the marriage lasts forever, she explains.
  About The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

  The church was founded in 1830 and is one of the fastest growing movements in the world.

  Mormons believe, among other things, in eternal life after death and want to get as many people as possible into the church so that they too can have eternal life.

  The movement describes itself as Christian, but is not recognized as such by the traditional Christian church.

  There are about 4,500 members of the Mormon Church in Denmark, divided into 22 congregations. Worldwide, there are approximately 17 million members.

  There are a number of rules and advice in the church, including that one must marry someone of the opposite sex, serve a mission, pay a certain percentage of one's income to the church, avoid sex before marriage, and wear sacred Mormon underwear.

  The church has been in conflict with the outside world from the very beginning, partly because it initially advocated polygamy. The founder of the Mormon church, Joseph Smith, himself had 40 wives, the youngest being 14 years old. However, the main organization is no longer in favor of polygamy.

  Along the way, however, Kiran Vesterholm and Peter's marriage began to crack.

  Kiran Vesterholm felt that her husband was becoming more and more absent, and that she was left alone with the duties at home.

  Around the same time, the mysterious fatigue began to show itself.

  "I felt like something wasn't right. I fell asleep right away and slept for a long time, but I still didn't feel rested. It happened a few times. I thought maybe I was depressed," she explains.

  For several years, Kiran Vesterholm struggled to understand why she was constantly tired.

  Until the day in 2013 when she realized: Her husband had drugged and raped her – something she herself estimated must have happened at least 30-40 times in the years leading up to.
  Kiran Vesterholm kept a diary during the period when the abuse occurred and has noted what happened several times. Photo: TV 2

  However, she did not go to the police because she was afraid of the consequences and the shame filled her greatly.

  - I was in a very vulnerable situation. My whole life was built around the church and our circle of friends there. I had nothing else. I couldn't handle the fact that we had three small children and he was going to prison. I also couldn't handle the shame, the humiliation that everyone had to know about this, she says.

  Together, the couple sought advice from the church's then-supreme leader, stake president Erik Bernskov.
  The church gave him a punishment

  When there are conflicts in marriages between Mormons, it is common for the senior leadership of the Mormon Church to step in.

  According to Kiran Vesterholm, Peter admitted to the stake president that he had drugged and raped his wife.

  A serious criminal offense that can result in several years in prison. Together with his counselors and the church high council, the stake president raised the matter with the Mormon Church. Peter was not reported to the police.

  But instead of reporting it to the police, the stake president chose to take up the matter with his two counselors and the high council consisting of 12 people and bring Peter before the Mormon church court.
  Kiran Vesterholm and her husband were affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Frederiksberg. Photo: Mikael Ib Hansen / TV 2

  All church leaders are men.

  After a meeting, they decided that Peter was no longer allowed to speak in church or at meetings. He could continue to come, but without participating in the fellowship. The “punishment” ended up lasting a year, after which Peter could again participate on an equal footing with others in the church, says Kiran Vesterholm.

  She herself received no help, she says.

  "I wasn't taken care of at all. It was a matter of taking care of him and making sure he didn't leave the church. They made sure to hold onto him," she explains.
  Focus on saving a sinner

  The fact that the management neither reported nor excluded Peter from the church does not surprise professor of law and religion at RUC Lisbet Christoffersen.

  She explains that the most important mission for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the members' situation in eternity.

  - Their focus is on a sinner being saved and helped back on the right path, she explains.

  She also explains that the Mormon Church has a long tradition of avoiding the authorities and finding "solutions" to both ethical and criminal law problems in the Bible instead.

  - The church has always been in conflict with the surrounding society. It is in their DNA that it is "society against us". Not because they want to defy society's rules, but if conflict arises, it is always God's rules that are the right ones, she explains.

  A member of the same church that Kiran Vesterholm joined supports Kiran Vesterholm's view.

  Bishop Lasse Meilsøe has chosen to come forward because, like Kiran Vesterholm, he is concerned about the church's handling of a case like this.
  - The reputation of the church must be secured

  He knows about Kiran's case and confirms that the church runs its own parallel residual system – the church court. He says that in many situations the church is more important than the member.

  "The stake president is the leader of such a trial. And the High Council is tasked with ensuring the reputation and reputation of the church. None of the 12 High Council members are tasked with ensuring legal certainty or the victim's experience or protection," he explains.
  Lasse Meilsøe is still a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He doesn't understand why his church doesn't distance itself from Peter after what he has done. He believes that the church should look inward and pay more attention to victims in cases like these. Photo: TV 2

  After Peter had received his "punishment" from the church, things went better in the marriage.

  In 2015, the couple moved to the United States with their children for two years. But it wasn't long before Kiran Vesterholm started sleeping strangely again.
  Another assault

  Peter now made a written promise. A kind of declaration in which he promised not to do it again.

  "This document is for you to show that I am convinced that I will never, ever, assault you - in any way again," it said, among other things.
  Parts of Peter's agreement with Kiran, where he promises not to attack her again. Photo: Private photo

  Yet the abuse continued. According to Kiran Vesterholm, she regularly briefed the stake president about the abuse from 2013 to 2018.

  In a written response to TV 2, the church denies that they have been continuously informed about the abuses.

  In 2018, Kiran Vesterholm woke up again to find that her husband was getting ready to rape her, she says.

  She could even feel the residue from a sleeping pill on her lower lip.
  Padlock on the door

  After the incident, Kiran Vesterholm and her husband went back to a high-ranking member of the church, she says. He was related to Peter, a member of the high council and bishop. Kiran said the abuse continued.

  The bishop then sent them an email with a solution, where he suggested, among other things, that Kiran Vesterholm install a pick-free lock on the door.

  "We agreed today that a tamper-proof lock will be installed on your bedroom immediately, and only Kiran will have the key to the door, so that Kiran can have her own safe space, where Kiran always knows that she can be safe - even when sleeping."
  TV 2 Play
  Faith, hope and rape

  The email also included a picture of a possible lock.

  Kiran Vesterholm had to be protected from her husband's abuse by locking herself in her room.
  Kiran Vesterholm and her husband received an email from the bishop and member of the high council. He sent, among other things, a photo of a possible lock on the door. A sliding lock that would eliminate the problem that Peter could possibly copy a key. Photo: TV 2

  Today, Kiran Vesterholm looks back at the email with a shake of her head.

  - They had to get me away from him. I wasn't in a safe space. I'm not going to lock myself in my bedroom. It's completely crazy, she says.

  In the email, the bishop also suggested that she and her husband involve the children in the problem and explain to them why there should be a padlock on their mother's door. They should know that their father is a sex addict and that it is a sin for him.
  In the email, the family member and the bishop also suggest that the couple inform their children about the rapes. They should explain to the children that it is a sin for Peter that he is a sex addict. Photo: TV 2
  Eventually it became too much

  TV 2 has presented the entire case about Kiran Vesterholm to law professor emerita Eva Smith and former prosecutor Stine Dahl.

  They are both shocked that the church leadership has tried to resolve a criminal offense, which they are obligated to report to the police, within the church's own system.

  It may in itself be a criminal offense to fail to act if one is aware that the abuse is continuing.

  - You can't have that in a society based on the rule of law. There you have to say, there's no such thing as church law. There's no such thing as having your own legal system alongside our legal system, says law professor emerita Eva Smith.

  Former prosecutor Stine Dahl calls it sad that measures were taken to prevent Kiran Vesterholm from being raped.

  - There is also something problematic about the church knowing that certain things are happening in a home with children. You have a duty to act if you know that things are happening that could put children in a situation that jeopardizes their health and well-being, she adds.

  After the assault in 2018 and the proposal for the padlock, Kiran Vesterholm was realizing that she could not survive in the relationship anymore.
  Kiran Vesterholm also wrote in her diary that night in 2018, when she woke up to find "Peter applying cream to her butthole". Photo: Private photo

  She ended up filing for divorce from Peter and subsequently resigned from the Mormon Church.

  But it wasn't until the fall of 2022 that she felt ready to go to the police and report her ex-husband for the abuse.
  Peter changes explanation

  She handed over emails, Peter's written confession, and her diary notes to the police. In addition, there were a number of witnesses who had heard about the abuse.

  In the middle of the night on September 28, 2022, Peter was arrested at his home. He admitted to the police that he had drugged and assaulted Kiran several times.

  But when the case went to court, there was a sudden change in that explanation.

  Now Peter would only admit to abuse up until 2013, just before the church leadership became involved.

  Peter ended up being sentenced to two years and three months in prison, six months of which were suspended for two counts of drugging and raping Kiran. The entire period between 2013 and 2018, when the church leadership, according to Kiran Vesterholm, knew about it, was not part of the sentence.

  This surprises former prosecutor Stine Dahl.

  - His explanation has been taken as the basis, despite the fact that there is a lot of evidence that indicates otherwise, says Stine Dahl.

  TV 2 would have liked to ask the police and the prosecution why they did not raise the cases from 2013 to 2018, to which Peter had confessed and where there was a number of written evidence.
  TV 2 Play
  Faith, hope and rape

  We also wanted to hear why the case was cut so that the exact period when the Mormon Church had known about the rapes was omitted.

  But neither the Copenhagen West Police nor the prosecution will be available for interview.

  Today, Kiran Vesterholm is left with a feeling that she has been let down twice.

  - I had been let down by the religious community I was a part of. And then I am also let down by the legal community. It's really... It's hard, she says.
  Today, Kiran Vesterholm describes herself as being in a better place. She lives with her boyfriend Thomas. Photo: TV 2

  Despite the many years of abuse, she is starting to feel better.

  She hopes that by coming forward with her story, she can give others the courage to come forward.
  Mormon Church denies knowledge of abuse after 2013

  The current leadership of the Mormon Church does not want to be interviewed.

  The church rejects operating parallel courts or legal systems and emphasizes that the decisions of the church court are about spiritual and religious matters.

  The church confirms that it is aware of rapes in 2013, but denies knowledge of abuse after 2013.

  The Mormon Church writes to TV 2 that it repeatedly urged Kiran Vesterholm to go to the police. The church did not go to the authorities itself because the couple did not want to, they write. The church also writes that it advised Kiran Vesterholm to leave Peter.

  TV 2 has presented the church's claims to Kiran Vesterholm. She cannot recognize the church's interpretation and maintains her own explanation.

  Kiran Vesterholm's ex-husband Peter does not want to be interviewed. Peter denies having committed any criminal offenses other than the two rapes for which he was convicted.

  You can watch 'Faith, Hope and Rape' on Monday at 8 pm on TV 2 or already now on TV 2 PLAY .