NewsA man concealed one sentence at work. Now he got another. For rape

A man concealed one sentence at work. Now he got another. For rape

Severi Lahtinen was convicted for rape.
Severi Lahtinen was convicted for rape.
Images source: © Getty Images | Andy Marlin, NHLI

5:11 PM EDT, October 13, 2023

The District Court in Paijat-Hame issued a verdict in the case of Severi Lahtinen. The 24-year-old was convicted of rape. He had previously served a sentence for another offense. This is not the only consequence he has faced. Lahtinen now plans to appeal to the Court of Appeals.

Severi Lahtinen has run afoul of the law again. The Finnish hockey player was sentenced in April 2023 to 55 suspended days in prison for drink driving.

He concealed the court's verdict from his club. As a result, he could benefit from a clause in the contract. He signed a contract for one year with the option to extend it for two more years.

Later, more shocking information came to light. Lahtinen was accused of rape. His club only found out about everything from one of the journalists of the iltalehti.fi portal.

For this, he received a two-year prison sentence. However, the verdict is not yet legally binding, and the hockey player intends to appeal it in the Appellate Court. He also faced other consequences - he was dismissed from the club he was playing for.

A player from our club has been convicted for serious crimes. His actions violate all the fundamental values and principles of JyP. There is no longer a possibility for him to continue playing in our club - JyP General Manager Risto Korpela conveyed.

The verdict constitutes a breach of the player's contract. The contract clearly stipulates that the player is obliged to behave in private life in such a way that his lifestyle does not cause negative publicity for the employer and hockey.

Severi Lahtinen made his senior hockey debut in the 2016/2017 season. He played 5 games for the Pelicans team and tallied one assist. Since 2020, he had been playing for the Finnish team JyP HT Jyvaskyla. He was supposed to remain with the club until the end of the 2024/2025 season, but he will not fulfill his contract.

See also