Finland Times

The higher court in its judgment said that the death of eight years old girl from Helsinki was murder and the act was done intentionally.

Terming the way of the killing as cruel, the Appeal Court did not find any ground for reducing  the punishment  and upheld the life term imprisonment for them.

Earlier on March 19, the Helsinki District sentenced the father of the girl and his female friend to life term imprisonment convicting them for the death under the custody of the couple.

The investigation of the case revealed that the girl died of suffocation under the custody of her father Touko Päiviö Tarkin(35) and his female friend Sirpa Helena Laamanen( 48)  and they compelled the girl to be suffocated to death.

The investigation also revealed the couple used to force the girl to take food and tied her with something regularly at night time for the previous week of the killing.

The court determined that there had been substantial evidences against the allegations of involvement of the couple in the murder were proved beyond doubt.

The couple had considerable understanding that the outcome of the suffocation could lead her to death but they failed to measures in this regard.

The life term sentence of imprisonment was given on charges of three specific crimes- murder, assault and deprivation of liberty.

The victim had been living with her mother until she was six years old and then she was shifted to her father´s custody.

The homicide  took place at the Helsinki residence of the convict on  the International Mother’s Day last year.