The court did, however, lower damages payable to Anton for emotional distress from 20,000 to 10,000 euros. The court also ordered her to pay 7,500 euros in legal fees for Anton and her ex-husband, Paavo Salonen.
Last autumn the Tampere district court convicted Rimma Salonen of kidnapping her son in the spring of 2008. She was handed a suspended sentence of 1.5 years.
In the spring of 2009, a Finnish diplomat in Russia helped Anton’s Finnish father smuggle the boy back to Finland in the boot of a car.
The 'Anton incident' has created a media storm especially in Russia, where public feeling is largely furious towards the father and Finnish officials. The case also prompted the Russian government to rebuke Finland for the actions of the diplomat who helped smuggle the boy.
