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they did not know where Ulrika was located, at first they simply put the place under surveillance: an untimely arrest could set Bidegård's life at risk. Meanwhile, a photograph of the kidnapper was shown to Bidegård's parents, who immediately recognised him: he was Lars
Nilsson, a carpenter from Sweden, who had been part of the team that had worked on renovating the family house.
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The kidnapping had both negative and positive impacts on Ulrika Bidegård's life. Unable to cope with the media pressure she put an end to her career as a top-level rider, although she remained active in the field. She became close to one of the
Belgian policemen who had taken part in her release, and
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In spite of the constant surveillance of the kidnapper's apartment from a neighbouring building, the police were unable to determine whether Bidegård was held captive there. They finally decided to assault the apartment during the early hours of Monday, expecting to take the kidnapper by surprise. It
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Because he had used a public phone booth to make calls to Sweden, the police knew that the kidnapper was located in downtown
Brussels, but it was cash withdrawals made with Bidegård's credit card that led them to the man on Saturday 23 January. They followed him, and he led them to his apartment. As
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In the evening of
Wednesday 20 January 1993, Ulrika Bidegård drove back home toward Sint-Genesius-Rode, after she spent the day training. Her parents were in Sweden, and the villa was empty. As she parked her car in front of the family house, a man wearing a mask showed up and threatened her with a
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The trial opened in
Brussels on 2 May 1995. The accused kept a low profile, and apologised to the Bidegård family. On 10 May, he was sentenced to fifteen years of penal labour. He spent four years behind bars in Belgium before being transferred to Sweden, where he finished serving his sentence. He
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As the kidnapping took place in
Brussels the inquiry was led by the Belgian police, but the Swedish police were asked to look into the background of the accused. When interrogated, relatives and friends depicted a kind, hard-working and socially healthy individual, with no predisposition to commit
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The judicial inquiry concluded that the motive was purely financial: despite the quality of his work, the man was deeply in debt because of his bad debtors, and had been forced to pledge his parents' house. To get out of his predicament, he resorted to kidnapping the daughter of one of his rich
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On
Tuesday 26 January, a letter arrived at the Bidegård's home in Sint-Genesius-Rode. It enclosed a photograph of Ulrika, tied up in her wooden box, along with a laconic demand for ransom: "500000 USD WEDNESDAY". This letter had been posted by the kidnapper on the Friday night.
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firearm. Tied up and gagged, she was driven to her kidnapper's apartment in central
Brussels. There she was placed in sitting position in a wooden box where she was kept during her whole captivity. Her kidnapper fed her sparingly and gave her water to drink laced with sedative.
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The man called Bidegård's father for the first time at his office in Göteborg. He demanded in
English that neither the police nor the media be alerted, and did not talk of any ransom. Kennet Bidegård immediately contacted a prosecutor, who alerted
191:. When Bidegård's parents landed at Brussels airport, they were greeted by the Belgian police who had established a special task force. The story was quickly leaked to the press by an interpreter, and it made headlines in both Belgium and Sweden.
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Tried in 1995, the kidnapper was sentenced to fifteen years of penal labour. Lars
Nilsson, a Swede in his thirties, had no prior convictions and was unanimously described by his family and friends as a kind and socially active person.
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near Brussels where they bought a house. As they found the Belgian interior design style unappealing, and did not speak the local language, they had their new home renovated by a Swedish contractor. Ulrika then moved in with them.
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Meanwhile, Bidegård's parents had joined her in Belgium in order to take advantage, as many Swedes did in the late 1980s, of the favourable tax laws. They settled in the "Swedish colony" of
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was 2.30 am on the morning of 25 January when police forces stormed the apartment. Bidegård recovered her freedom after more than four days of captivity, and her kidnapper was arrested.
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such a crime. For the Bidegård's themselves, the shock and consternation were enormous, as they had had excellent relations with the carpenter while he was working at their home.
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apartment, where Bidegård was kept captive. The man was arrested, and his victim rescued, after over four days of a captivity that made headlines in both Sweden and Belgium.
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On 22 June 2013, the Swedish radio station P3 broadcast a documentary produced by Ida Lundqvist on the kidnapping of Ulrika Bidegård.
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the two eventually married on 13 August 1994. The wedding was largely covered by the Swedish press. They have had two children.
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rather late in life, at the age of eleven, but quickly developed the skills of a champion. At twenty-three, she moved to
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106:. Cash withdrawals made with her credit card led the police to the kidnapper, a man living in a downtown
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was an exemplary inmate, and became a model of prisoner rehabilitation.
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team, took place on 20 January 1993 in front of her family's home in
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Ibland påminns hon om dramat som kunde kostat henne livet
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Born on 9 September 1964, Ulrika Bidegård grew up in
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The date of birth comes from the Swedish Knowledge.
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683:Ulrika Bidegårds kidnappare får inte nåd
654:. Helsingborgs Dagblad. 27 janvier 2008.
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232:In 2008, Ulrika Bidegård was back in
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284:P3 Documentary about Ulrika Bidegård
251:List of solved missing person cases
156:European Show Jumping Championships
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546:...var en jätteduktig snickare...
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790:Missing person cases in Belgium
474:Samtidigt som spanningspolis...
665:Kidnapped show jumper is freed
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686:. Aftonbladet. 12 march 1998.
88:kidnapping of Ulrika Bidegård
570:Jag vill be hela familjen...
534:Man blev ju klart chockad...
486:Poliserna har installerat...
154:team. She took part in the
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755:1990s missing person cases
668:HeraldScotland 26 Jan 1993
158:and was to compete in the
16:1993 kidnapping in Belgium
510:Kidnapparen tar bilden...
450:Men senare på lördagen...
414:Samtalen flyger mellan...
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775:Kidnapped Swedish people
354:Lena och Kennet köper...
306:Ulrikas pappa, Kennet...
35:Ulrika Bidegård in 2007.
785:Kidnapping in the 1990s
770:Formerly missing people
558:Karl-Arne Ockell var...
438:Det enda polisen vet...
378:Först ett halvt dygn...
760:1993 crimes in Belgium
606:När vi gifte oss så...
582:Den tionde maj 1995...
426:Polisen upprepar om...
318:Ulrikas mamma, Lena...
780:Kidnapping in Belgium
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594:Men man upptäckte...
498:Så då bestämde vi...
390:Mannen som ringer...
342:Vid den här tiden...
160:1992 Summer Olympics
402:Och då ringde vi...
246:List of kidnappings
795:Sint-Genesius-Rode
650:2013-09-12 at the
171:Sint-Genesius-Rode
100:Sint-Genesius-Rode
90:, a member of the
750:1990s in Brussels
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80:Kidnapping victim
51:September 9, 1964
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130:in Western
744:Categories
720:Law portal
615:References
178:Kidnapping
126:, outside
118:Background
69:Occupation
47:1964-09-09
216:clients.
164:Barcelona
144:Brazilian
94:national
648:Archived
240:See also
224:Epilogue
189:Interpol
146:wizard"
128:Göteborg
108:Brussels
140:Belgium
104:Belgium
92:Swedish
72:Athlete
234:Onsala
136:riding
132:Sweden
124:Onsala
62:Sweden
58:Onsala
292:Notes
263:Notes
257:Notes
207:Trial
86:The
41:Born
162:in
746::
623:^
102:,
60:,
49:)
45:(
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