Wrongfully imprisoned Jens Ihle and Anneli Auer seek millions in compensation

Jens Ihle and his ex-partner Anneli Auer are pursuing more than two million euros in compensation from the Finnish government for their wrongful imprisonment. Their claim would be the largest ever awarded for such an injustice in Finland. Ihle and Auer were imprisoned for years, accused of serious sexual crimes they did not commit.

The charges against them were eventually dismissed by a court in April. Ihle was in custody from September 2011 until April 2016, followed by four months under supervised probation. Auer is claiming 1.3 million euros for the four years she spent behind bars. Their ordeal began when Auer was suspected in the 2006 murder of her husband, psychologist Jukka S. Lahti.

She was convicted twice, but both convictions were overturned on appeal. The real killer remains unknown. During her imprisonment, Auer's children were placed with a foster family, where they alleged sexual abuse, leading to additional legal proceedings that resulted in lengthy prison sentences for both Ihle and Auer.