On 20 September 2021, a man attacked two people with a knife in Nav Årstad’s office premises in Bergen. Marianne Amundsen (57) and Ida Aulin (39) sat in a user conversation with the accused man. He then attacked the two, and Amundsen died shortly after she was stabbed 47 times. Aulin was slightly injured after also being stabbed. The office has over 200 employees, and several colleagues witnessed the incident. The employees received crisis help from psychologists after the incident, and have received close follow-up over the past year. Flowers outside Nav Årstad after the murder. Photo: Marit Hommedal / NTB The trial starts in Hordaland district court on Monday, and there are around 30 people on the witness list. In the courtroom, four places are reserved for Nav employees who will support witnesses and colleagues during the trial. – An entire office is affected. Some will stand in court and testify. Then that colleague support will be invaluable, says Johansen. – Strongly reluctant Several of the employees will have a tough time during the trial, according to municipal director Tommy Johansen in Bergen municipality. The municipality has its own contingency plan for crisis support that may become necessary. – We have the whole range of emotions. There are those who see the trial as a necessity and something that must be moved on from. Others find that what they have managed to process is ripped up again. They are very reluctant, says Johansen. Tommy Johansen is municipal director in Bergen municipality. He will be present to support Nav employees in the municipality. Photo: Julianne Bråten Mossing / news On the dock sits a 40-year-old man who has previously suffered from mental illness. He is charged with murder and grievous bodily harm. The prosecution initially thought the man was insane and could not be punished. But the indictment was recently changed, and the prosecution is now in favor of a prison sentence. – The defendant believes that he himself was mentally ill at the time of the crime, says defense attorney Morten Grimstad. – Felt opposed by Nav His mind must have been directed at the Nav system. He felt he lacked money to live, according to Grimstad. The man must have felt opposed and rejected by the Nav system. The motive had nothing to do with specific case managers, according to the defender. The defendant’s apartment was searched after the attack. Photo: Sissel Rikheim / news – He felt he didn’t get help, and felt he was only opposed by Nav, says Grimstad. Municipal director Johansen does not want to comment on the allegations that the man did not get help. – We expect that these are circumstances that will be highlighted during the criminal case. We do not wish to comment on this until the case has been dealt with in the legal system, he says. The question of sanity will be a central question during the trial. Defense attorney Morten Grimstad believes the defendant was ill at the time of the crime. Photo: Leif Rune Løland / news Higher level of security at Nav offices After the incident, several measures were put in place to make meetings with users safer for the employees. The security level will be even higher at several Nav offices during the trial itself. Adaptations will also be made so that Nav Årstad can have normal operations during the trial while employees can follow it. The employees work both in the municipality and the state. Nav Bergenhus opened after the attack on Nav Årstad. Then there was high security. Photo: Oddgeir Øystese / news – Several organizations are on trial. We are present widely, and also have a professional apparatus on standby that takes into account that there will be different needs for those who relive the incident, says Johansen. May Britt Løvik is a legal aid lawyer for the bereaved and the woman who was injured during the attack. – The serious scope of the case and the outcome it had, naturally make it very demanding for the victim and the survivors to follow the case in the district court, says Løvik ahead of the trial. Nav Årstad has implemented several security measures during meetings with users. Here is a chair chained to the wall. Photo: Lidvard Sandven / news Psychologist: – Room to feel insecure Psychological specialist Heidi Wittrup Djup says there must be room for Nav employees to feel insecure about their jobs. She has worked with many who have been in crisis situations. She says the trial could be tough for the entire Nav organisation. Heidi Wittrup Djup, psychologist specialist in crisis psychology, says the trial can be difficult for many employees. Photo: Natasha Busel / Fana photo studio – Different employees will have different needs now and in the future. There must be room to react and still grieve. There must also be room to thematize insecurity and the uneasiness you feel when this comes up again, says Djup. Hey! news is closely following the trial after the Nav attack. We are always interested in tips or input in connection with the matter. Please contact!
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– Many fear wounds will be ripped open again – news Vestland
