“Sorry, sorry, sorry. (…) I feel like I raped you (…) I thought about it yesterday when I went to bed. I felt stupid and mean”. That’s what the friend, now charged with rape, wrote after the episode in the bedroom during a birthday party in 2022. Four young women are accused of rape and complicity in the rape of another young woman. They grew up in the same rural environment in Southern Norway, and were best friends at the time when the rape is alleged to have occurred. None of the four defendants plead guilty. The case carries a penalty of up to ten years. The lawyers Joakim Boye (former), Svein Kjetil Stallemo, Nils Anders Grønås and Lars Faye Ree are the defenders of the four young women who are accused in the rape case. Photo: Per-Kåre Sandbakk / news – Made me feel like I had raped The day after the birthday party, the main defendant sent a message in which she apologized to the victim. She received several questions about this message in court on Thursday. Among other things, she was asked why she wrote “I feel like I raped you”. – Because I wanted to be supportive. She made me feel like I had raped her, replied the defendant. – You would be supportive when you are accused of rape. I don’t understand that. Why didn’t you protest?, asked public assistance lawyer Åshild Schmidt. – I think it was difficult when I saw what the others had written, answered the defendant, and pointed to messages between the friends in a group chat. Lawyer Åshild Schmidt is assisting the offended woman in the case. Photo: Per-Kåre Sandbakk / news – A sexual environment On the second day of the trial, the main defendant explained what happened in the bedroom, where all five were together. It was the offended woman’s birthday party, and she had received a “Womanizer” as a present. Both the offended woman and the main accused woman have explained that they were in a “sexual environment”, especially when they were partying together. – We could kiss and paw at each other at parties. Touch each other’s ass and tits, said the defendant in court. Lawyer Joakim Boye is defending the main accused woman. Photo: Per-Kåre Sandbakk / news Held her in arms and legs At the birthday party, the five friends gathered in the victim’s bedroom. Here, the four friends allegedly forced the victim to use the vibrator she received as a birthday present, according to the indictment. Three of the girlfriends each held the victim by the hand and on one leg, while the main defendant fingered and performed oral sex on her. – It didn’t feel unnatural. I asked about the law, the defendant explained in court. She believes that the sexual intercourse was voluntary, and that all five had consented to what happened in the bedroom. Prosecutor Helene Holtvedt asked why the defendant would use sex toys, fingers and perform oral sex on his girlfriend. – I wanted to join for fun. I took it as everyone having fun, she replied. The victim went to the abuse center a couple of days after the incident. Photo: Per-Kåre Sandbakk / news Code word “mango” During the sexual acts, the friends had decided to use the code word “mango” when they had to stop, according to the defendant. – That’s how it was easier to finish without a bad atmosphere. Not as a substitute for “no”, but an easier way out, the defendant explained. The victim explained the day before that she must have said no on at least two occasions along the way. – I never realized that she didn’t want this, said the defendant. Photo: Per-Kåre Sandbakk / news Denies guilt The defendant emphasized several times that she experienced the sexual intercourse in the bedroom as mutual. She believes that the victim regretted it afterwards, because she felt that she had been unfaithful to her then-boyfriend. The victim was clearly upset when the defendant gave his explanation about this, and shook his head several times. She followed the trial from a separate room with a camera. – What do you think about this case?, asked lawyer Joakim Boye, who is the defender of the main defendant. – Shit. It’s stupid that such a cozy friendship was destroyed. Hello! Do you have any tips in this matter? Or other matters you would like to advise on? Feel free to contact me by email. Published 12.09.2024, at 15.06
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– We could kiss and paw at a party – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
