– He is very affected by what has happened. He is having a tough time, says aid lawyer Kenneth Hansen to news. A man is said to have been abducted against his will over a long period in Eastern Norway. This is according to police prosecutor Anders Bækkemoen in the East police district. On the night of Saturday, three men in their 30s and 40s were arrested. They are charged with deprivation of liberty, violence and threats against the offended man. – We believe that there is reasonable reason to suspect that he should have been subjected to violence and threats during the period he is said to have been deprived of his liberty, says Bækkemoen. – How long should the victim have been deprived of his liberty? – I don’t want to go out with the exact duration, but there is talk of him having been deprived of his liberty for a considerable time, says Bækkemoen to news. According to the police, all the accused have previous criminal convictions. – Do they belong to a criminal environment? – I have no comment on that as of now. The further investigation may uncover that, says Bækkemoen. Two of the accused deny criminal guilt. The third party has not yet decided on the question of guilt. Tip led to arrest The men in their 30s and 40s were arrested following a tip from a witness. – The police received a report from a witness on the night of Saturday that a person had possibly been taken against their will in a car. The police were informed of the registration number and eventually managed to locate the car, says Bækkemoen. Two of the men were arrested at the car, while the third man was arrested later that night. The police do not want to say specifically where the abduction is supposed to have taken place, but the three accused are natives of the Østfold area. Spent two days in solitary confinement Two of the accused have been remanded in custody for two weeks with a ban on letters and visitors. Hilde Marie Ims defends one of them. Her client has not yet decided how he will respond to the charge. – The solitary confinement has been somewhat longer than desirable, and in general it means that the accused is exposed to a burden, says Ims. All the accused spent more than two days in solitary confinement before being produced for remand. Hilde Marie Ims defends one of the Photo: André Bendixen / news The other man who has been detained for two weeks pleads not guilty. This is revealed in a ruling from Søndre Østfold district court. The man’s lawyer has not responded to news’s inquiry on Monday evening. – Difficult to deal with The third accused has been remanded in custody for one week with a letter and visiting ban. – He in no way acknowledges criminal guilt in relation to the charge, and believes he has done nothing wrong at all, neither criminally nor in any other way, says the man’s defender Torgeir Røinås Pedersen to news. Pedersen says that this case is a great strain on his client. – He feels that he is connected to something that he has nothing to do with, and that is of course tough and difficult to deal with. Lawyer Torgeir Røinås Pedersen defends one of the men charged with deprivation of liberty, violence and threats. Photo: Rahand Bazaz/news Seizures to be reviewed The police are now working to map the extent of the case. They have made several seizures that need to be reviewed. In addition, witness interviews remain. – Beyond that, the further investigation will reveal whether there is a need for further investigative steps, says police attorney Bækkemoen. The aggrieved man’s legal counsel did not respond to news’s inquiries on Monday evening.
ttn-69
