The case in summary • Homeowner Thomas Walther was accused of demolishing most of a listed building without permission, but has now been acquitted in the Agder district court.• The prosecution asked for a prison sentence for Walther, but the court concluded that the demolition work was not “grossly negligent”.• It was also established that the homeowner had received permission to demolish parts of the house, but that “the boundaries were unclear”.• Agder district court criticizes the municipality for having been unclear in their decisions about permitted demolition work.• The Walther couple have fought a long battle with the building department in the municipality and have not yet been able to move into the new house on the site.• Lindesnes municipality reported Walther for illegal demolition, claiming that he only had a permit for rebuilding and restoration, not demolition. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – It is a big day. We have lived in a vacuum for several years, says Thomas Walther (47). He has been prosecuted for demolishing most of a listed building without permission. When the case went to the Agder district court earlier this month, the prosecution asked for a prison sentence. Now he has been acquitted. The verdict is unanimous. – We have never wanted to do anything wrong, but do everything right with a rotten house. – What do you think about the case being appealed? – I don’t think so. I don’t think the state will spend more money on this, says the homeowner. It was when the house looked like this that the municipality reported the couple. Photo: Privat The municipality receives criticism It was Lindesnes municipality that reported Walther in 2022. The case was initially dismissed by the police. The municipality appealed against the decision, and eventually the case was brought to trial. – The municipality is now receiving strong criticism, says defender Jon Martin Jakobsen, and refers to the judgment from the Agder district court. – The court believes this could have been avoided with better dialogue and clarity from the municipality’s side, says the defender. Building case manager Kjersti Skiple Verdal does not want to comment on the case. – The judgment is taken into account, she writes in an email to news. Today there is a new house on the site, which is a faithful copy of the old one. Photo: Christina Cantero / news “Boundaries were unclear” The homeowner has always denied guilt. He had been allowed to demolish parts of the house, but “the boundaries were unclear”, according to the judgment from the Agder District Court. news has previously been in contact with Agder county council about the case, which then stated that they had not seen a similar case for 10 years. “When even professionals believe that it is discretionary and unclear where the boundaries for permitted demolition work are, the court assumes that the municipality’s decision was unclear and should have been clearer,” the judgment states. It is currently unknown whether the case will be appealed. – We will review the judgment and its premises, and then it will be up to the state attorney, says police attorney Ole Martin Paulsen, who was the prosecutor in the case. The Walther couple in the house at Tregde, which will soon be finished after a nine-year struggle. Photo: Christina Cantero / news A long battle for the couple The house is located in an idyllic area with southern country houses on Tregde in Mandal. The couple bought the property almost ten years ago. But they still haven’t been able to move in. First due to large hidden errors and deficiencies, followed by several rounds with the building department in the municipality and finally a police case. Today there is a new house on the site, which is a faithful copy of the old one. It was Lindesnes municipality that reported Walther for illegal demolition. The municipality believes that Walther only had permission for rebuilding and restoration, not demolition. – He tore more than he was allowed to. There is nothing old left, said prosecutor Ole Martin Paulsen in court. Hello! Do you have any tips in this matter? Or other matters you would like to advise on? Feel free to contact me by email 👇🏻 Published 26.11.2024, at 11.05 Updated 26.11.2024, at 13.48
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Acquitted after domestic nightmare – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
