Danish Court Rejects Self-Defense Claim in Intimate Partner Homicide

A 64-year-old Danish woman has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of her 75-year-old live-in partner in the early morning hours of November 18, 2024. The Hillerød District Court verdict, handed down just days after the incident, marks a significant ruling in Denmark's handling of intimate partner violence cases, where self-defense claims in relationships remain legally contentious.

The case unfolded in Frederiksværk, a town of approximately 15,000 residents in North Zealand, when the woman called the emergency services at 00:27 and reported the incident. According to court records, she inflicted two knife wounds to her partner's chest using a kitchen knife—one of which proved fatal by piercing his heart.

The woman claimed she acted in self-defense, alleging that her cohabitant had first threatened her with a knife and struck her in the face before the situation escalated. Under Danish law, self-defense is a recognized legal principle, enshrined in Section 13 of the Danish Criminal Code, which permits individuals to use force to protect themselves from imminent threats. However, self-defense claims in intimate relationships face heightened judicial scrutiny in Scandinavian courts, which increasingly examine whether individuals had alternative means of escape or de-escalation.

In rejecting her self-defense argument, the Hillerød court acknowledged that the victim had indeed threatened the woman with a knife and had struck her, but concluded that she possessed a viable alternative: leaving the house. The judges found that instead of exercising this option, the woman retrieved a kitchen knife and used it against her partner—a decision that undermined her claim of necessity.