The case in summary • A 37-year-old woman has been sentenced to a year and a half in prison for having a child with a minor asylum seeker for whom she was responsible.• Six months of the sentence have been suspended.• The woman and the boy met at an institution in Tønsberg in 2018, where the boy lived and the woman worked.• The woman is accused of abusing her position to have sex with a minor in a particularly vulnerable life situation. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. The woman was more than twice as old as the 15-year-old boy who had come to Norway as an unaccompanied underage asylum seeker. They met at an institution in Tønsberg in 2018, where the boy lived and the woman worked. Eventually they developed a close relationship, and when the boy turned 16, they had sexual relations which led to the woman becoming pregnant. The woman is accused of abusing her position at the institution to have sex with a minor in a particularly vulnerable life situation. The woman believes that a general love relationship developed between her and the boy, and that sexual intercourse was a natural part of this love relationship. Had children together A colleague of the woman suspected that something was going on between the woman and the asylum seeker. He therefore sent a notice to the management at the institution. There were no consequences, but the woman quit her job before the birth. The boy kept his paternity hidden, because he was afraid it would affect his residence permit. Only last summer was the case reported to the police, after the boy had confided in a child protection worker. He said that he had become a father after having sex with a woman who previously worked at the institution. Denied criminal guilt During the trial, the woman said that she had done nothing wrong. She says she fell in love with the boy and that she perceived the love as mutual. She believes the case would not have ended up in the court system if the two had still been together. Instead, there is now a process in court and a child distribution case. – The court considers that the defendant used the victim, a vulnerable young boy desperate for care and belonging, to meet his own emotional needs, the verdict against the woman states. Glad to be believed – The case has been tough for the boy, says his legal aid lawyer, Christofer Arnø. The boy has now become a 20-year-old man. – The court has emphasized my client’s explanation. He is relieved that the court has believed in him. Now he hopes he can put the case behind him, says Arnø. TOUGH CASE: Christoffer Arnø is a legal aid lawyer for the man who had a child with the former municipal employee. Photo: John-André Samuelsen / news The prosecution also requested that the woman be banned from working as an environmental worker for the next three years, but the court disagreed. – After an overall assessment, the court has come to the conclusion that loss of rights in addition to the prison sentence will be a disproportionate intervention. The court points out that the defendant must in any case present an updated police certificate in order to be able to work as an environmental worker, and in any case with children, the judgment states. The woman’s defender, lawyer Elin Folseraas, says they are considering appealing the verdict. – Beyond that, I don’t want to comment on it, says Folseraas. The woman must also pay NOK 180,000 in compensation to the man. Police attorney Bente Selstad Hansen says the case is special and that the prosecution is satisfied with the outcome.
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Abused minor asylum seeker – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
