Stockholm - A German woman was Tuesday sentenced to life for beating to death two toddlers in Sweden in March, and attempted murder of their mother. The ruling was handed by down a district court in Vasteras, 100 kilometres west of Stockholm.
In addition to the life sentence, the court also ruled that Christine Schuerrer should be deported for life from Sweden.
The court ordered her to pay damages of some almost 600,000 kronor (84,000 dollars), mainly to the mother of the children.
In its 36-page ruling, the court concluded that the victims - a three-year-old boy and one-year-old girl and their mother - had been "subjected to repeated beatings to the head."
Forensic investigations suggested the beatings were likely made "with an ordinary hammer, or a tool like a hammer," the court said.
The court said it did not take into account testimony from the 23- year-old mother, who sustained severe injuries, to accurately remember details of the attack.
The defence had questioned the ability of the mother to remember events, citing testimony from expert witnesses.
The court concluded that Schurrer had been in Arboga, central Sweden on March 17, the day of the attack.
The court concurred with the motive of jealousy presented by the prosecution as fuelling her wish to harm the ex-boyfriend and his new partner.
The 32-year-old student has denied she attacked the children and their mother, but the court said there was a sufficient circumstantial evidence to convict her.
She was extradited to Sweden at the end of April and the lengthy trial opened in July with more than 50 witnesses summoned. The prosecution relied on witnesses in the case because of lack of forensic evidence, a murder weapon and DNA linking the accused to the crime scene.
The mother's lawyer, Marie Fredborg, told reporters the ruling had been "expected."
Schuerrer and her Swedish lawyer had prior to the ruling said they planned to appeal. An appeal has to be filed latest November 4.
