The defendant (49) acknowledged the damage to Nidaros Cathedral and to a Jewish cemetery in Trondheim. In March and April this year, the operations center in the Trøndelag police district received many reports from the public who were accused of: Acting out and frightening behaviour, minor damage and some shoplifting in Trondheim. – The most beautiful building in the city On the afternoon of 8 April, the defendant took orange spray paint with him and went to Nidaros Cathedral. Here he used the spray measurement to convey several messages on the stone walls. SOS was one of them. – Save our souls, answered the defendant when asked why he wrote it. The damage to Nidaros Cathedral cost around NOK 100,000 to repair. But the medieval stone has sustained permanent damage. Photo: Trond Odin Myhre Johansen / news At the visitor center he sprayed “Hitler” on the glass wall. – It was to provoke. I’m not a Nazi. I am a social democrat, said the defendant, who is very enthusiastic about Nidaros Cathedral. – It is the most beautiful building in the city, said the defendant. The police quickly received tips from passers-by about what the defendant was up to. – I knew that I was being filmed by people who came past the church, said the defendant in court. To emphasize that he was not afraid of being caught, he also sprayed his name on the visitor centre. The defendant was arrested at Nidaros Cathedral, but after a short stay in the police station, he was released again. Tired of the war in Midt-Austen Four days later he visited the Jewish cemetery at Lademoen. After destroying a stone Star of David, he smashed the windows of several cars. – It is better to destroy a car than a person, said the defendant in court. The defendant took a Star of David and threw it at several tombstones so that it was destroyed. Photo: Image taken from the Facebook profile of Sophie Bodd Jenssen Since he wrote “Hitler” and smashed a Star of David, the district court judge wanted to know if the defendant is anti-Semitic. – No, it was a cry for help. I love Jews, answered the defendant. He then spent a few minutes telling the court about the war in the Middle East. – Or the “conflict” as people call it, said the defendant. He said he is so sick of all the suffering as a result of what is happening. The day after the damage to the Jewish cemetery, the man stayed for a long time in the center of Trondheim. There he emptied a powder device over a person at Vår Frue Kirke. Twice in the course of a week crews had to clean up the Vikelva. There, the defendant had thrown plastic bottles and trolleys into the river close to the shop. Photo: Morten B. Karlsen / news Admitted to the emergency department many times before A few days later the police decided to demand detention. In the prison meeting, the accused then said that he did not want to go to prison, because the weather was so nice and that he liked being outside. In the court case this week, he said that he did not like being in prison. There were too many conflicts, he thought. Because of his behavior in prison, he was forcibly committed to a psychiatric hospital this summer. The indictment also includes death threats against carers there and their families. He pleaded guilty to the extensive indictment on 26 counts over the course of two months. During the trial, it emerged that the defendant was hospitalized eight times from January to June this year with suspicion of psychosis. But after a few days he was discharged without treatment. The same thing happened in 2022 as well. At least seven times he was hospitalized with what was probably drug-induced psychosis. It shows health information that the experts have collected. Will not stop getting drunk The defendant is a Swedish citizen and moved to Norway a few years ago. In recent years, he began to get high on cannabis and amphetamines, in addition to alcohol. The defendant was thrown out of his apartment in March, and believes that it made his life worse. The forensic psychiatric experts conclude that he has a psychosis for which he is now compulsorily hospitalized. The prosecutor, state attorney Jarle Wikdahl, believes the defendant must therefore be sentenced to compulsory mental health care. The experts think he does not realize that he is ill. It is therefore important that the defendant does not become intoxicated again, even if in time he may be sentenced outside the institution. When asked by the court whether he would follow the advice, the defendant replied: – No, I have to be honest. I can’t sit here and lie. I’ll probably get drunk again, said the defendant. Published 17.09.2024, at 20.17 Updated 17.09.2024, at 21.14
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