– They have been prepared that this was something that could come. The period after the case was reopened has been difficult for them, says aid lawyer Håkon Brækhus to news. According to Brækhus, the parents of Stine Sofie Sørstrønen (8) and Lena Sløgedal Paulsen (10), who were found murdered and raped in Baneheia in May 2000, have not thought much about the future. – They take it as it comes. Although the prosecution against Viggo is over, the case is not over. We have not received a clear answer to what has happened, says Brækhus. Counsel for the girls’ parents, Audun Bekkstrøm, tells news that the parents take the decision seriously. – The matter is not yet resolved. The investigation must continue, he says. Public assistance lawyer Håkon Brækhus says the parents of Lena and Stine Sofie were mentally prepared for the acquittal of Viggo Kristiansen. Photo: Fredrik Hagen / NTB – A nightmare Stein Borgersen is a former leader of the Home Guard in Agder. He was the one who found the girls murdered and raped in Baneheia on 21 May 2000. Today he thinks a lot about the relatives. – This has been a nightmare for many years, says Stein Borgersen. He meets news in Baneheia, where he attends the press conference from Oslo on his mobile phone. The Attorney General has just requested that Viggo Kristiansen be acquitted. Borgersen thinks back to the day he found the girls. Together with at least 200 others from the Home Guard in Agder, he was out to search. The girls had then been gone for two days after a swimming trip. – Finding the girls was obviously a terrible experience, but it helped a little that I was working for the defense and in that way contributed to society, says Borgersen. 200 soldiers from the Home Guard participated in the search for the two girls. Photo: Lars Aamodt Has marked the city The murders in Baneheia have marked Kristiansand for two decades. – This has been a nightmare for many years. Now many are looking forward to the whole process being terminated and completed, says Borgersen. Requests that Viggo Kristiansen be acquitted: Can claim more than 30 million in compensation Hundreds went in torchlight processions to take back Baneheia back then. But it would take a long time before the place was like before. – Life is slowly coming back, but I think people are generally more vigilant and look after their children even more, says Borgersen. Today, the area has once again become a favorite hiking and bathing spot for Christians. People laid flowers near the place where the girls were found on 21 May 2000. Photo: Lise Åserud / SCANPIX. The state prosecutor in Agder apologizes Agder state prosecutor’s office was responsible for the Baneheia case until February 2021. After that, the case was transferred to Oslo state prosecutor’s office. – I stand behind the Attorney General’s apology on behalf of the prosecution, for the injustice committed against Viggo Kristiansen and his close relatives. That the case is deeply tragic for Kristiansen and the entire rule of law is a view I fully share with the Attorney General, says First State Attorney Erik Erland Holmen. – As the Attorney General, I have the most profound decision which is also a great burden for the survivors and next of kin of Stine Sofie Sørstrønen and Lena Sløgedal Paulsen, he says.
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The Attorney General requests the acquittal of Viggo Kristiansen – here are the reactions – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
