The case in summary A woman in her 40s is accused of gross abuse by her husband over a period from June 2021 to August 2023. The abuse includes both physical and psychological violence, as well as denial of necessary health care. The woman previously denied the charges, but has now partially admitted guilt in court. When the woman was arrested, the husband had serious injuries, including malnutrition, blood poisoning and pneumonia. The woman’s admission came as a surprise to both defense lawyers and the prosecution. The trial is scheduled to last until September 17. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. The woman in her 40s was arrested when the man was admitted to hospital with serious injuries in autumn 2023. The injuries were so serious that he was placed in an artificial coma. She has always denied gross abuse by her husband. These are the main points in the indictment. In the period from June 2021 to August 2023 in Tønsberg and elsewhere, she mentally and physically abused her husband. The physical violence consisted, among other things, of her hitting him several times in the face, eye and body, kicking him repeatedly in, among other things, the back and in the abdomen, as well as grabbing his testicles and/or twisting his testicles. She also kicked and hit him while he was sitting on the toilet. The psychological abuse consisted, among other things, of her denying him access to the toilet and asking him to stay when he had to go to the bathroom. She has ordered him to stand outside in cold weather without shoes and a jacket, and for a long time ordered him to sleep on the floor without a duvet and with the window open. She has also locked him out of the house on several occasions. On one occasion, she smeared faeces on his face while saying “so, now you get to know how I feel when I have to wipe up your shit”, or similar. She has had social control over him, among other things, by having control over his phone and limiting his contact with friends and family. Among other things, the threats have included that she has stood over him with a bat and that she will call a motorcycle gang so that he can “feel it properly”. Several of the cases have occurred when her minor son was present. When he was admitted to hospital on 16 August 2023, the ill-treatment had led to, among other things, a permanent injury to his right cornea, several wounds with infection, a permanent injury to the scrotum, severe malnutrition, very low blood sugar, pneumonia and blood poisoning. She failed to get him the necessary health care at an earlier time. – I am sorry that I have not spoken about this earlier in the interrogation. There was so much shame and guilt. There is chaos in my head. The woman’s admissions came as a surprise to both defense lawyers and the prosecution. – Throughout a rather long investigation, she has reacted differently to the accusations that have been brought against her. So in that sense it was a surprising turn of events, yes, says state attorney Christer Gangsø to news. Police prosecutor Ida Charlotte Einhausen was in charge of questioning the defendant in court. To the right State Attorney Christer Gangsø. Both were surprised when the woman said she partially acknowledges the abuse. Photo: Hans Philip Hofgaard / news Got defecation problems The woman sits bent forward and stares down at the table in front of her as she explains herself in Vestfold district court. She speaks softly when she admits that she has not told the truth in the police interviews. She acknowledges both physical and psychological abuse by the man she married. Some time after the couple got together, the man was diagnosed as mildly mentally retarded. He also had trouble getting to the bathroom in time. – It just got worse and worse. There was a lot of management and washing. At first he managed it himself, but eventually it became a lot of trouble. And then I ended up washing when he had pooped on himself, says the defendant. Rejects two years of mistreatment One of the woman’s two defenders, lawyer Stian Mork Sletten, says that the time in custody has increased for the woman, and that shortly before the trial she was ready to partially confess. Lawyer Stian Mork Sletten says the woman disagrees with how long the abuse lasted. Photo: Hans Philip Hofgaard / news – She has had a desire to tell how it has been as she has perceived it, and she acknowledges that she has been mean to the victim, says Sletten to news. The woman is accused of abusing the man during both of the years they were a couple, but the woman says the relationship was fine at the start. She says they both behaved like two very much in love and that no violence happened in the first months of the relationship. She now admits that she gradually became violent towards him and that the defecation was a major source of irritation. In one case, she smeared the faeces on his face, which she refers to as an accident. – I don’t understand that I could let it go this far. That I could be so ugly. He was my great love, she says as she bursts into tears. She estimates that the man pooped on himself between five and ten times a day. – He couldn’t do anything about this excrement. It doesn’t excuse what I did anyway. Went on a summer holiday in a tent The last summer they were still a couple, they went on a several-week camping trip together with the woman’s minor son. The area where the couple holidayed in a tent in the summer of 2023. Photo: Police The man was only allowed to sleep in the tent the first night. The other nights he lay outside or in the entrance area of the tent without a sleeping pad. The day before the man was picked up by an ambulance, the couple sought shelter with one of the woman’s sons due to bad weather. The next day it was impossible to revive him. This led to the daughter-in-law calling the emergency number. Had bedsores The court can play the emergency call. There, the woman and her daughter-in-law are told to start cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The defendant breaks down in tears during the playback and the court takes a break before the trial continues. When the man was examined at the hospital, he had a broken eye, infected wounds on his arms, legs and under his feet. He was malnourished and had both blood poisoning and pneumonia. In addition, he had bedsores on his lower back and one hip. The defendant says that she was shocked when she later saw pictures of the injuries in the prison. She says she should have ensured that her husband received medical attention much earlier. Have no excuse – How could it end up like this, asks defender Stian Mork Sletten. – I was so tired of everything. I have no excuse. Everything was a struggle. Everything with investigations and the stool problem. In the end I was so fed up, says the woman. The accused woman is defended by lawyers Stian Mork Sletten and Ola Sønju Bårnes. Photo: Hans Philip Hofgaard / news The offended man is not present in court. His explanation is recorded on video. The court has seen a total of 22 hours of questioning of the man. The offended man’s legal aid lawyer, Knut-Erik Storlykken Søvik, says that his client is relieved by the woman’s admissions. Photo: Tom Erik Haugland / news Aid attorney Knut-Erik Storlykken Søvik says that he has spoken to the man and that he is relieved by the woman’s confession. – Then he gets rid of the worry about not being believed, so I think it’s important for him, says Søvik. The trial is scheduled to last until 17 September. Published 06.09.2024, at 17.41 Updated 06.09.2024, at 19.04
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Woman partially admits severe abuse – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
