– Thank God that I am not going to court. I was most likely flying at him, says the father of two to news. The trial starts on Monday, where a 28-year-old man is charged with the rape of three girls, and sexual acts against five other girls. The man was employed as an after-school assistant at two schools in Bergen and the abuse is said to have occurred in the period 2020 and 2021. The girls were aged 6–8. The accused man will deny criminal liability when the case starts. The headmaster lost his job The headmaster at one school was fired by Bergen municipality this winter. He did not go any further with reports of concern about the man in spring 2021. “Not reporting potentially such serious offenses to your manager generally appears to be a gross breach of your employment contract with Bergen municipality”, BT refers from a letter from the municipality to the rector. About half a year later, the after-school assistant was arrested by the police. HORDALAND DISTRICT COURT: There have been seven days in court for the major assault case. Photo: Simon Skjelvik Brandseth / news Never been so angry The father of two, who meets news, was at work when the phone rang in November 2021. From the one contact teacher, he got what he describes as the “second worst message you can get” about his children. – I can still remember what I could taste in the air. It was as if someone grabbed everything inside my stomach and pulled it down to the ground. Followed by an overwhelming rage. I have never been so angry in my entire life, the man says. His eldest daughter (10) had then, together with two other girls, gone to the health nurse and told them. – I am so incredibly proud that she was brave enough to do that. And she may have prevented new abuses. That’s more courage than I could ever wish to have myself, says the father. Sections 299 and 304 of the Criminal Code Rape of children under the age of 14 is a separate section in the Criminal Code (299) and applies to offenses that deal with: a) having sexual relations with children under the age of 14 b) getting a child under the age of 14 to perform acts that correspond to sexual intercourse with oneself, or c) carries out qualified sexual acts with children under the age of 14. The sentence is ten years in prison. Paragraph 304 applies to sexual acts against children under the age of 16, which can be punished with three years’ imprisonment if the relationship is not caught by paragraph 299. – We felt like crap parents Eventually, the youngest daughter (8) was also able to tell what she had experienced. The man is accused of rape against the eldest daughter and sexual acts against the youngest daughter. The father says that during the 2020/21 school year it suddenly became difficult to get the girls to want to go to school. The eldest daughter in particular had a lot of stomach pain and they also went to the doctor to try to find out. But the answer from the school was, according to the father, that “there must be something at home”. He feels the blame was put on them. When he found out that the headmaster at the school, half a year before the daughter went to the health nurse, was notified about the after-school assistant without taking the matter further, he was furious. – We noticed that there was something wrong with both girls, but didn’t understand why. They made us feel like crap parents, but then the principal had been notified. Furious is a mild description of how I felt when I found out, says the father. School councilor Linn Katrin Pilskog (Ap) says it hurts to hear that the family has been met in this way. – This is not how it should be. We must do everything we can to prevent, uncover and prevent abuse against children and young people from happening. It is high on my agenda to ensure that those who work in kindergartens and schools know what to do if something happens or someone reports it, says Pilskog. SCHOOL COUNCIL: Linn Katrin Pilskog (Ap). Photo: Bergen municipality Wants to complain The police have investigated the headmaster for breaching the obligation to notify, because he did not notify further when the first reports came. Earlier in November, the case was put aside due to the state of the evidence. Police attorney Farzad Izadi tells news that so far no one has complained that the case was put aside. The father of two whom news meets, however, has decided to complain to the State Attorneys. – This is the most serious breach of trust one can commit and it cannot go unpunished. We must be able to trust that the people who are supposed to look after the children actually do. It is not enough to be fired. news has contacted the rector in question by phone and SMS, without receiving a reply. In a letter to the municipality at the time he lost his position, he is said to have defended himself by saying that the information he received was considered a “non-violation” and that there were also others who considered that the report of disturbance should not be reported to the police, writes BT. DEFENDER: Lawyer Erik Johan Mjelde says his client will deny criminal liability when the case starts on Monday. Photo: Leif Rune Løland / news – Not sexually motivated Lawyer Erik Johan Mjelde is defending the accused 28-year-old. He says that on Monday the man will admit that he has touched the children, but that it has happened in situations of play and comfort. – He admits to having had all the children on his lap, stroke them on the outside of the cloth, that he has lifted them and been to places that are unfortunate and can be misunderstood, says Mjelde. But the man denies that these actions were sexually motivated. In contrast, the man believes that it is within his duties as a carer, according to the defender. The man also admits in one case to having stroked a child on the inside of his clothes, but that it was not sexually motivated either. The grossest debts, on the other hand, he denies having occurred. The defender will also point out to the court that the police have not found abuse material on the mobile phones or computers that have been seized. In addition, the man himself has not applied for the after-school job, but has been appointed as an apprentice. – The prosecution believes we can prove that the man has sexually assaulted eight children. The investigation has been thorough, many children have been interviewed, as well as other employees at the school, says police lawyer and prosecutor in the case, Lillian Anderson Kleppe. PROSECUTOR: Police attorney Lillian Anderson Kleppe will prosecute the case for the prosecution. Photo: Synne Lykkebø Hafsaas / news Action required Since November 2021, the family with the two offended girls has tried to take back the normal weekday. It’s getting better, day by day. – The girls do not feel safe at school, but safer. The contact teacher and the new principal are doing a fantastic job, says the father. He is nevertheless very angry and frustrated about the situation his daughters have been seen in. The after-school abuse case is just one of several cases of abuse in schools and kindergartens in Bergen in the past year. – I have almost zero trust in the municipality. It is time for a review of routines and stricter assessments of who is appointed to the schools. Lives are being destroyed and the municipality does not have good enough control, says the father. Over the past year, his girls have received good follow-up and good tools from the Children’s House. – To see the change in the children who had simply become a shell of themselves, to see them slowly come back to themselves, it is incredibly lovely. I see that they have both got the sparkle in their eyes. We have a way to go, but we celebrate the small victories. The municipality: – Makes a strong impression Frode Nilsen is agency director for schools in Bergen municipality. – It makes a strong impression to hear how these cases happen to children and their families. It is not difficult to understand that this family has lost trust in the municipality, says Nilsen to news. The agency is now working to strengthen the competence of employees to monitor and take action if they suspect that something is wrong. – This should make employees more confident in recognizing signs that children may have been exposed to something else by adults or other children, and be confident to act when they have such a suspicion. Read the full response to the agency director: Bergen municipality has taken these measures after the abuse cases Frode Nilsen, agency director for schools in Bergen municipality: “Centrally in the municipality, after each of the cases we have had, we have reviewed our routines for what employees should do if they suspect abuse and checked whether the routines have been followed. We have reviewed our procedures for employment. In the three cases we have had this year, it has been shown that the employees involved have provided a valid police certificate and we therefore believe that we must first of all strengthen the competence of all our employees to follow up and act when you suspect that something is wrong ». “Etat for skole, in collaboration with the expertise communities in Bergen (police, NOK Bergen, RVTS and V27) has therefore prepared a competence package for employees in Bergen with the aim of increasing employees’ competence in preventing and detecting sexual abuse. This should make employees more confident in both recognizing signs that children may have been exposed to something either by adults or other children, and being confident to act when they have such a suspicion. The first meeting for resource persons at all schools was held in November. All employees must undergo the digital course during the school year”.
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Got the “second worst message you can get” about your children – news Vestland
