Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Kim Wall's death - what we know

Danish inventor Peter Madsen is contesting his life sentence imposed for murdering Swedish journalist Kim Wall on his submarine but not the guilty verdict, prosecutors say.

Madsen, 47, was convicted last month of the premeditated murder of Ms Wall, 30, and dismembering her body.

His appeal relates "solely" to his sentence and "not the issue of guilt", the Danish prosecutor's office tweeted.

In Denmark, the sentence range for murder is between five years and life.

The prosecutor's office added that Madsen's appeal could not be interpreted as an admission of guilt.

What does life imprisonment mean in Denmark?

Theoretically it can mean just that, but in reality life-term prisoners serve an average of about 16 years.

Police killer Palle Sorensen, paroled in 1998 after 32 years, and Naum Conevski, jailed in 1984 for killing two young men, are unusual in having served considerably longer.

Sorensen died earlier this year. Conevski is still in jail.

One study shows the number of life-termers in Danish prisons increased from 10 in 1997 to 25 in 2013. The 2015 study said only every fifth or sixth murder convict was serving life.

What has Madsen been convicted of?

Madsen was found guilty of the premeditated murder and sexual assault of Ms Wall on 25 April this year after previously admitting to dismembering Ms Wall's body on the submarine and throwing her remains overboard.

Her remains were found by Danish police at sea 11 days after she interviewed him on board his homemade vessel.

Image copyright Ritzau Foto Image caption Peter Madsen and Kim Wall on the submarine Nautilus in Aug 2017

The case was heard by Copenhagen City Court Judge Anette Burkoe and two jurors. Judge Burkoe described the incident as the "cynical and planned sexual assault and brutal murder of a random woman".

She said Madsen had "failed to give trustworthy explanations" and had "shown an interest for the killing and maiming of people and has shown an interest for impaling".

What do we know about the murder?

Ms Wall had been researching a story about Madsen's venture and was last seen on the evening of 10 August as she departed with him on his self-built 40-tonne submarine, UC3 Nautilus, into waters off Copenhagen.

Her boyfriend raised the alarm the next day when she did not return from the trip. Madsen was rescued at sea after his submarine sank the same day. Police believe he deliberately scuttled the vessel.

Ms Wall's mutilated torso was spotted by a passing cyclist on 21 August but her head, legs and clothing, placed in weighted-down bags, were not discovered by police divers until 6 October.

After his arrest, Madsen gave differing accounts of what had happened on board his submarine.

During the opening session of his trial, prosecutors said there was a suspicion that he had "psychopathic tendencies" after investigators discovered films on his computer showing women being tortured and mutilated.</s>COPENHAGEN (AFP) - A Danish inventor found guilty of the murder of a Swedish journalist aboard his homemade submarine has appealed his life sentence but is not contesting the verdict, prosecutors said Monday (May 7).

Peter Madsen "is found guilty in the murder of Kim Wall and has only appealed the length" of his life sentence, Simon Gosvig, spokesman for the Danish prosecutor's office, told AFP.

A Copenhagen district court on April 25 sentenced the 47-year-old to a life sentence for murdering the 30-year-old journalist, chopping up her corpse and throwing her body parts into the sea in August last year.

The eccentric inventor confessed to stuffing Wall's head, arms and legs into plastic bags, weighing them down with metal pipes before tossing them into the sea, but maintained throughout his trial that her death was accidental.

The court, however, concluded the gruesome videos Madsen watched of women being beheaded and tortured and the fact that he brought a saw, plastic strips and a sharpened screwdriver on board just before the voyage with Wall were enough to find him guilty.

Most observers had expected Madsen to appeal the verdict.

The prosecutor's office said Madsen's bid for a milder sentence could not be interpreted as an admission of guilt.

While a life sentence in Denmark averages around 16 years, Madsen could be held behind bars for as long as he lives if the life term is confirmed.

Despite the testimony of many experts, the lack of tangible evidence in the case and the decomposed state of Wall's remains made it impossible to determine an exact cause of death.

An autopsy report concluded she probably died as a result of suffocation or having her throat slit.

Fourteen stab wounds and piercings were also found in and around her genital area.

Madsen had argued that he stabbed her because he wanted to prevent gases from building up inside her body that would prevent it from sinking to the seabed.</s>Danish submarine inventor Peter Madsen is appealing against his life sentence for murdering and dismembering Swedish journalist Kim Wall.

The Danish prosecutor's office said in a tweet the appeal focused solely on the sentence handed down by the Copenhagen City Court and Madsen would not be attempting to overturn the murder conviction.

Defence lawyer Betina Hald Engmark told Denmark's TV2 that Madsen "doesn't confess murdering Kim Wall but that he would like the case to be over with — also for the sake of the relatives and witnesses".

Madsen, 47, was found guilty on April 25 of murder, sexual assault and the dismembering of Ms Wall.

The Copenhagen court ruled unanimously that he had lured Wall, 30, onto his hand-built submarine with the promise of an interview she had been trying to get for months.

The defence announced at the time that it would appeal, but didn't specify whether it was disputing Madsen's guilt or the sentence.

No date for the appeal has been set.

Life sentences in Denmark usually mean 16 years in prison, but convicts are reassessed during their incarceration to determine whether they would pose a danger to society if released and can be kept longer.</s>Danish submarine inventor Peter Madsen will not be appealing his murder conviction over the killing and dismemberment of Swedish journalist Kim Wall, prosecutors said Monday.

In a tweet, prosecutors said Madsen’s defence team had only appealed against the life sentence that was handed down by the Copenhagen City Court. Prosecutors insist the sentence is correct.

Defence lawyer Betina Hald Engmark told Denmark’s TV2 that Madsen “doesn’t confess murdering Kim Wall but that he would like the case to be over with – also for the sake of the relatives and witnesses,”

Madsen was found guilty April 25 of murder, sexual assault and the dismembering of Wall. The Copenhagen court ruled unanimously that Madsen, 47, had lured Wall, 30, onto his hand-built submarine with the promise of an interview she had been trying to get for months.

The defence announced at the time that it would appeal, but didn’t specify whether it was disputing Madsen’s guilt or the sentence.

No date for the appeal over the sentence has been set.</s>COPENHAGEN Prosecutors say that Danish submarine inventor Peter Madsen is not appealing his murder conviction over the killing and dismemberment of Swedish journalist Kim Wall.

The prosecution tweeted Monday that the defence has only appealed against the life sentence handed down to Madsen by Copenhagen City Court. The prosecutors insist the sentence is correct.

Madsen was found guilty April 25 of murder, sexual assault and the defilement of Wall. The Copenhagen City Court ruled unanimously that Madsen, 47, had lured Wall, 30, onto his hand-built submarine with the promise of an interview she had been trying to get for months.

The defence announced at the time that it would appeal, but didn't specify whether it was disputing Madsen's guilt or the sentence.</s>Peter Madsen, the Danish inventor found guilty of murdering Swedish journalist Kim Wall, will not be appealing his murder conviction after all.

The Associated Press reports that the prosecution in the case announced the news on Monday. Following the verdict on April 25, Madsen’s lawyer had said that she intended to file an appeal. That would have been a stretch, considering pretty much everything about the case: Wall went missing after boarding Madsen’s submarine for a story she was writing about him, Madsen admitted to dismembering Wall’s body and burying her at sea, his laptop was filled with videos depicting extreme violence against women.

However, he is appealing his life sentence and asking for a lighter one. In Denmark, the average life sentence is 16 years and Madsen will be eligible for early release after serving 12.</s>COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Peter Madsen, a Danish inventor, will not appeal his conviction for killing a journalist aboard the submarine he built, prosecutors said, in a new twist to one of the most-watched — and most gruesome — criminal cases in recent European history.

Madsen will appeal the life sentence a court imposed on him — a rare penalty in Denmark, even in murder cases — but will not challenge the verdict delivered April 25 that he was guilty of sexually assaulting and killing Kim Wall, and desecrating her body.

“The appeal case will only concern the sentencing, and not the issue of guilt,” the Copenhagen District prosecutor’s office wrote on Twitter.

Madsen’s lawyer, Betina Hald Engmark, said in a text message that the move was “certainly no recognition” of guilt.

Even with a life sentence, Madsen could be considered for release in as little as 12 years.

Wall, 30, who was Swedish, was last seen alive Aug. 10 when she boarded the vessel planning to interview Madsen, 47. Madsen, who had designed submarines and founded a company to build spacecraft, sank the sub and was rescued the next day.

Wall’s torso later washed up on a beach south of Copenhagen, while other body parts were found by police divers.

Madsen admitted to dismembering Wall’s body but insisted that she had died in an accident, although his accounts changed repeatedly. But evidence presented at trial showed that he had planned the killing in detail — even discussing it with people — but had struggled to find a victim; three other women had declined his invitations.

“It was not premeditated against Kim Wall but against the next women who wanted to go along with him on the submarine,” prosecutor Jakob Buch-Jepsen said after the verdict.

Wall was a successful freelance journalist who had reported from far-flung parts of the globe for a number of publications, including The New York Times. Paradoxically, she died a violent death not in some distant, dangerous place, but in one of the safest societies in the world, about 45 minutes from where she grew up.

Her death, and the investigation and trial of Madsen, drew worldwide media attention.

On the night of her disappearance, Wall was set to host her own farewell party, as she and her boyfriend were days away from moving to Beijing. Her family, friends and international organizations have established grants and awards in her name.</s>COPENHAGEN—Danish submarine inventor Peter Madsen will not be appealing his murder conviction over the killing and dismemberment of Swedish journalist Kim Wall, prosecutors said Monday.

In a tweet, prosecutors said Madsen’s defence team had only appealed against the life sentence that was handed down by the Copenhagen City Court. Prosecutors insist the sentence is correct.

Defence lawyer Betina Hald Engmark told Denmark’s TV2 that Madsen “doesn’t confess murdering Kim Wall but that he would like the case to be over with — also for the sake of the relatives and witnesses.”

Cosby verdict, Danish submarine conviction and Toronto van rampage bring misogyny to the forefront</s>The twisted Danish inventor found guilty of the brutal torture, murder and dismemberment of journalist Kim Wall aboard his homemade submarine will not appeal his murder conviction, prosecutors said Monday.

The State Prosecutor of Copenhagen said that Peter Madsen's defense team has only appealed against the life sentenced he received last month.

"The prosecution calls for the sentence of lifetime in prison given by the City Court to be upheld. Peter Madsen is appealing for a milder sentence. The appeal case will exclusively be concerned with determination of sentence and not the verdict," the prosecutor's office said.

Madsen, 47, was found guilty April 25 of Wall's murder, sexual assault and defilement after the city found the inventor didn't give "a trustworthy" explanation.

Judge Anette Burkoe added it was the court's opinion that Madsen "dismembered the body to conceal the evidence from the crime he had committed."

The defense said at the time it would appeal, but didn't specify whether it was disputing Madsen's guilt or the sentence. No date for the appeal has been set.

Madsen is the 15th person in 10 years to receive a life sentence in Denmark, according to The Local.
Danish inventor Peter Madsen appeals his life sentence for murdering Swedish journalist Kim Wall onboard his homemade submarine. He has not appealed his conviction.