– She would have been 44 years and 8 months today if she had been allowed to live. She was 17 years old, because she was brutally killed. No tragedy can be greater for parents than losing a child. This is how assistant lawyer Erik Lea started when the second court day began in Haugaland and Sunnhordland district court on Tuesday morning. The public prosecutor’s opening lecture lasted just under 15 minutes, and here he wanted to summarize the despair parents have lived with for the past 27 years. – It is so totally destructive to life. There is sadness, crying, despair and hopelessness. Life loses meaning, sometimes any meaning. It’s paralyzing, it’s disbelief, it’s hopeless and dark, says the aid lawyer. Tengs’ parents Karen and Torger are themselves present in court. This is the third time they appear in court after their daughter was killed in May 1995. THE PARENTS: Karin and Torger Tengs in courtroom 14 in Haugaland district court. Together with assistant attorney John Christian Elden. Photo: Marthe Synnøve Johannessen / news Lea says that the only thing the parents want is to get an answer, and that they have been determined to follow their daughter through everything. – Once again, they will have to suffer through a trial. Both Karen and Torger were born in 1958. They were 20 when Birgitte was born, they were 37 when she was taken from them. Now they are 64 years old, and the case is not over yet, says Lea. The public prosecutor says that they will not call any witnesses during the eight-week trial, but that Torger Tengs wants to give a statement. This will happen before the accused 52-year-old starts his explanation. The father thus becomes the first witness to be called in the trial. There will also be a claim for compensation, says Lea. – Claims are only made in the event of a conviction. The claim itself will be processed when the time comes, but 27 years of burdens and a still unresolved case must be taken into account, says Lea. – Has taken shortcuts The 52-year-old defendant’s defenders announced ahead of the second court day that they would attack the DNA evidence in the Tengs case. During the first court day in Haugesund, the prosecution explained that their crown evidence in the 27-year-old murder case was a bloodstain found on Tengs’ pantyhose. It was in this bloodstain that blood was found which the prosecution links to the accused. Co-defendant Stian Bråstein says in his introductory speech that there is an enormous need for clarification in the case, but that their client denies any involvement in the murder. DEFENDERS: Stian Kristensen and Stian Bråstein are defending the 52-year-old accused. Photo: Marthe Synnøve Johannessen / news Bråstein believes that prosecutors have taken “shortcuts”. – The big question is whether a Y chromosome, a gender marker, on Birgitte Teng’s pantyhose provides cover for saying that the defendant killed her. We believe that the prosecution took some shortcuts, and that there is no evidential cover for this, he says. The prosecution says the defendant’s blood may have spread to the pantyhose via a bloody finger in connection with the murder. – That it was deposited with a bloody finger will therefore appear as pure speculation. There is no cover in the evidence for such a conclusion, Bråstein said.
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The father of Birgitte Tengs will testify in court – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
