– It has been a cat and mouse game all along. In a break room in the Vestfold district court, guarded by the correctional service, the man accused of murder summarizes his long relationship with a much talked about police officer in Tønsberg. He is one of four indicted for the murder of Bård Lanes. The 31-year-old comes prepared to the interview, with handwritten notes and a clear agenda. He wants to clear himself of the accusations from the policeman, that the 31-year-old also wanted to become an informant for the police, which the policeman claimed when he testified in the trial. The policeman in his 40s has for many years worked against the drug community in the city. – Ever since we were little, aged 15-16, he has picked us up in the city and thrown us into the police car. We laughed it off and were let out again. But he did it to show that he was there, to keep the pressure up. He has always been looking for us, the 31-year-old tells news. The police’s press officer informs news that they have spoken to the policeman and his boss, who do not wish to comment on the matter now. You can read the response from the Sør-East police district further down in the case. The policeman received information about the criminal environment in Tønsberg from Bård Lanes, who was killed in April 2021. According to the policeman, Lanes became an informant of his own accord. But he claimed that the 31-year-old and his mate, back in 2015, also wanted the same. – On the other hand, they are assessed as not suitable as informants because, as I understand it, they were too criminal at the time, told the police officer in Vestfold district court. The 31-year-old reacts strongly to that and wants to comply with the policeman’s claims. He also does not want to be seen as a quiet person in the environment. – I said we had no intention of becoming informers. We left it dead because we didn’t trust him. And if we had been such monster criminals, as they thought, and they had been offered information, they would have accepted right away, he claims. – What does this policeman want to achieve by lying about something like that in a courtroom, really? – He has something personal against us. I think it is because he has managed to put pressure on everyone else, but that he has not managed to achieve good cooperation between us. The police in the South-East have received several questions from news about the allegations from the 31-year-old. In an email they write: “Since this is an ongoing main negotiation, it would not be natural for the police to comment on views or opinions expressed by the parties involved.” WISHES TO BE ANONYMOUS: The 31-year-old does not want to be named. Photo: Magnus Skatvedt Iversen / news Defense counsel: – He isolates himself The 31-year-old’s defense attorney says that life in Ringerike prison has become somewhat different after the policeman claimed that he was an informant. – This has not been a topic before and was presented without documentation. As a result, he has experienced a lot of discomfort in prison, says lawyer Stian Sletten at Hasle law firm. A news release from the day the policeman testified has been printed out and distributed in the prison. – Nobody wanted to talk to him and when he sits down, others get up and leave, says Sletten. – He has experienced this as very difficult. He strongly disagrees with what emerged and does not recognize himself in it. He chose to self-isolate and there has been pressure from people in other prisons as well. DEFENDERS: Stian Sletten, left, and Jon Anders Hasle, are the lawyers for the 31-year-old. Photo: John-Andre Samuelsen / news Reacting to the police’s methods The 31-year-old and Bård Lanes had a year-long conflict going on. With threats and reviews both ways. A conflict that ended with Lanes being killed, according to the police and the public prosecutor. When the policeman was grilled in the witness box in the district court, he admitted that Lanes was asked to find information, which could lead to the 31-year-old ending up in prison. The goal was for the conflict between the two to calm down if the 31-year-old was put behind bars. But the police never received any information about the 31-year-old’s criminal activities, according to the policeman. The family of the 31-year-old has reacted to the police’s methods. They believe the police escalated the conflict. – It is commonplace that he contacted Lanes. He worked under unconventional methods, the mother of the 31-year-old told the court. The policeman has previously explained that he saw no risk in asking Lanes to get information for him. – No, I didn’t. But when you sit with the facts today, I see that it is unfortunate. But it was not in my wildest thoughts that we should sit with the conclusion here. The trial against the four accused of murder began in March and is scheduled to end at the beginning of June.
ttn-69
Accused of murder accuses police of informant lie – now he isolates himself in prison – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
