On Tuesday, the trial began against four men accused of deprivation of liberty and drug offences. The four pleaded guilty to varying degrees. The defenders of the defendants stated in their remarks yesterday that their clients believe they took part in the incident to save the offended man in his 20s, not to harm him. They continue their questioning of the victim on Wednesday. The defense attorney for the man who, according to the indictment, was the main man behind the abduction, questions why the victim did not flee the situation and wonders if he felt safe. Defense attorney Marius Ihlebæk also questions whether it was the defendants the victim was afraid of, or whether it was someone else who posed a threat. Later, the parents of the offended man and the first of the four defendants will also explain themselves. Ahead of the trial, the police released several images of weapons they believe are connected to the abduction. Photo: The police The police believe this is the revolver that was used during the abduction. The victim was shot in the buttocks. Two of the four defendants drove a rental car to Tolga to pick up the offended man. On their way down, they took side roads to avoid being stopped. A few miles north of Koppang, they pulled off the road and took a taxi further south. The two defendants who traveled to Tolga are said to have broken into the residential building where the victim was. They are said to have then committed violence against his parents. The victim understood what was going to happen When the man in his early 20s began his free statement on Tuesday, he said that he quickly understood what was going on when two men entered his parents’ house on the night of January 2, 2022 and abducted he. – I knew they were there because of me, he explained to the court. The public prosecutor’s office believes debt, probably related to drug trafficking, is the motive behind the incident. On Tuesday, the victim repeatedly invoked the right not to explain himself about things that could incriminate him. The judge had to remind the parties in court of this right several times. Two masked men break into a residential building in Tolga. According to the indictment, they commit violence against the couple who live in the house and go up to the offended man’s room. The victim hides under a bed, but is soon found. He is punched and kicked in the upper body, and taken downstairs. Eventually, according to his explanation, the victim tries to climb a flight of stairs and is then shot in the buttocks. The victim is taken out of the house and down to a waiting car approx. 500 meters away. According to his explanation, he is exposed to violence and threats in the car. He explains that he guides the driver on side roads down the exit to avoid being stopped by the police. A few miles north of Koppang, the rental car the three are in drives off the road. They cannot start the car and therefore order a taxi south. Two taxi drivers transport the victim and two of the defendants to an address outside the center of Hamar. There, according to the prosecution, at least one of the accused picks up his mobile phone. From Hamar, according to the indictment, the third defendant drives the other three to an address in Oslo. According to the victim, the atmosphere in the car was calm. He should also have been given more clothes to wear. The victim is taken to an apartment in the capital. There he gets food, the opportunity to shower and a blanket he could wear over himself while he slept on the sofa. According to his explanation, he was told here that he was safe. The victim had to record a video and was then told that he was free. After receiving NOK 500 in travel money, the offended man traveled by public transport to Hamar. On a train to Gardermoen, he was allowed to borrow a mobile phone and notified his mother that he had been released. Show more In the indictment, it appears that the victim was released after less than a day. He is said to have received NOK 500 from one of the defendants to get home. When asked by prosecutor Vibeke Stolp Ekeland if he had the opportunity to escape, the man replied that he did not dare to flee for fear of being killed.
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Victim and defendant explain the motive for the Tolga abduction – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
