Judge scoffs at sub death account

Accused ‘dropped hatch on Wall’s head’

COPENHAGEN: He said he was into S&M, but not with his submarine passenger. He said she died on board in an accident, and he buried her at sea because that was maritime tradition. And why did he initially lie to the police about what happened? He said he wanted to see his wife and his three cats.

Peter Madsen, a Danish inventor, was charged on Tuesday with the murder of a Swedish journalist, Kim Wall, who had boarded his submarine on Aug 10 to interview him for a newspaper article.

Questioned by lawyers during a court appearance that lasted four and a half hours, Mr Madsen furnished many details but did not answer an essential question: How did Wall’s mutilated body — she was missing her head, arms and legs — end up in a bay near Copenhagen, 11 days after she and Mr Madsen set out on his 17-metre submarine?

Judge Anette Burko said his account was “not reasonable”. She approved the prosecution’s request to upgrade the accusation against Mr Madsen, who was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter, to manslaughter, which in Danish law is the legal equivalent of murder. She ordered him held for an additional four weeks and scheduled him to appear in court again on Oct 3.

In court, Mr Madsen confirmed Wall had first contacted him to talk about rockets, but became intrigued by his submarines and wanted to go for a ride. It was not clear when they first communicated, but they met for the first time on Aug 10.

Mr Madsen had brought numerous visitors on underwater trips — 300, he estimated, both individuals and small groups. When the prosecutor, Jakob Buch-Jepsen, asked if he had ever had sex on the submarine at sea, Mr Madsen said he had, once.

Mr Buch-Jepsen asked about Mr Madsen’s involvement in the sadism-and-masochism community. He said that he had once had consensual sex with a woman who held her breath during intercourse but that he had not hurt her.

As to the evening of Aug 10, Mr Madsen said he navigated the submarine toward the surface. Then he climbed through the hatch, which weighed about 70kg, and was holding it open for Wall to follow him on to the bridge. He said he lost hold of the hatch, which struck Wall in the head. He heard her body fall as the door slammed. He went down and checked on her pulse, and found none.

Out of desperation, Mr Madsen said, he decided to bury the body at sea. “Sinking the Nautilus is not a suitable ending for Kim, so I removed the body and did a funeral at sea, like it’s been done for hundreds of years,” he said.

Asked to account for why her underwear and other clothing were missing, he had no explanation.

Mr Madsen said he continued his journey, intending to steer the vessel south, toward the Baltic Sea, and to kill himself, he said. He did not explain why he had not carried out that plan.

When Buch-Jepsen asked why he had lied to the police, Madsen answered: “I wanted to see my wife and the three cats. I wanted to see them before all this was going to happen. I had no doubt that everything would come to light. I just wanted five minutes to say goodbye to my wife.”

The judge ordered a psychiatric examination of Mr Madsen and a search of his computer.