The mystery surrounding the whereabouts of Pirate Bay founder Gottfrid Svartholm deepened today. After failing to turn up for 2010's hearing to appeal his 2009 conviction for criminal copyright infringement, the court decided he would be dealt with at a later date. Today, however, Svartholm failed to appear at the Court of Appeal.

At the end of September 2010 the appeal of The Pirate Bay Four began, but one of the most important cases of its type began with just three defendants present.

Due to him being hospitalized in Cambodia, Pirate Bay co-founder Gottfrid Svartholm was unable to travel to Sweden.

Such was her concern, Gottfrid’s mother said she would travel to Asia to support him. The Court decided that the hearing would continue without him.

In late November the Appeal Court found founders Fredrik Neij and Peter Sunde, and businessman Carl Lundström guilty, although it did decrease the lengths of their prison sentences. The damages they have to pay to the entertainment companies were increased.

Although the trio announced they would appeal to the Supreme Court, one of their team had been left behind. Gottfrid Svartholm’s appeal would have to be dealt with separately at a later date, throwing their processes out of sync.

However, setting a date for the hearing was proving difficult since Svartholm’s location could not be determined, not even by his lawyer Ola Salmonsson.

Nevertheless, a hearing was eventually scheduled for today at the Svea Court of Appeal. In common with the previous hearing, Svartholm failed to appear.

He now has just 3 weeks to apply for his appeal to be reopened or it seems that the District Court’s ruling of 2009 – a year in jail and his share of 30 million kronor ($4.48m) in damages – will stand.