The case of Miika Elomo’s abuse will be heard again in the district court.
Miika Elomo’s assault case is being discussed again in the District Court of Varsinais-Finland. Jaakko Stenroos / AOP
The district court of Varsinais-Suomen sentenced the ex-hockey player Miika Elomon last July to a 60-day suspended prison sentence for spousal abuse. Elomo appealed the verdict to the Court of Appeal.
Now the Court of Appeal of Turku on Tuesday 24.5. the decision states that a procedural error was made in the district court. The case will be returned to the district court of Varsinais-Suomen, where the case will be taken up again.
Elomo demanded the dismissal of the assault charge because, according to the man, his spouse was not fit for questioning and the police did not tell the woman about intimate partner crime protection.
Under the protection against close relatives, a close relative, such as a married or common-law partner, can refuse to testify.
Nor did it appear from the minutes of the district court that the presiding judge of the district court had, before hearing Elomo’s spouse, clarified her intimate relationship with the defendant, or brought up and clarified questions related to the witness’s right to refuse and protection against intimate partner crime.
Elomo’s spouse has stated that, according to his memory, the district judge had briefly mentioned protection against intimate partner crime in the main hearing, but nothing was said about the overall right to refuse and its meaning.
Elomo’s spouse informed the Court of Appeal that he would not have wanted to testify in the case.
Cancel the talks
According to the original indictment, the former hockey star cut his spouse with a kitchen knife and strangled him by the neck in June 2019 in the couple’s shared apartment in Turku.
After this, Elomo’s spouse had called the emergency center. When the police had arrived, the woman had told about the events. Both parties to the dispute had been heavily drunk during the incident.
However, Elomo’s spouse denied the entire event during the district court proceedings. According to him, no abuse had taken place. The woman said that the wound on her hand was probably from a dog’s scratch.
A handsome career
Elomo, 46, is a former top hockey player who played a couple of games in the NHL, eight seasons in the SM League and four seasons in the AHL. The man won two SM golds, the AHL championship and the under-18 European championship.
After his playing career, Elomo coached, among others, TPS in the SM league and TuTo in Mestis. This season, Elomo was the head coach of the Polish team STS Sanok.