– I thought I had killed him. I just saw him lying there, says the defendant. He explained that the incident on the night of 18 May, in Strandgaten in Bergen, came as a shock to him. He says what he has seen on the video, which a witness filmed, “looks absolutely terrible”. The video sent shock waves through Norway, the day after the national day. This shows that the defendant pushes two people over. A third person tried to calm the situation down, but was hit with great force in the face. The man was charged, and has confessed. On Tuesday, the case went to Hordaland district court. There, the man explained that the much-discussed gang rape case in Bergen is a backdrop to the rape incident on 17 May. Prosecutor Camilla Moe asked for one year’s imprisonment for the defendant, with two months suspended. See video of the incident here. news warns about strong images: One person apparently beats down several people in Bergen. Request for a discount Defense attorney Erik Johan Mjelde says there is no doubt that the action is serious. He believes that it has an effect that the defendant has confessed, and that this should give a penalty discount of at least one month. – I also want the court to think about what it means to live for two years with the fear of going out the door. You have to tolerate being prosecuted, believe, what does that do to people, says Mjelde. – I think the court can assume that the load which is provable has had a certain effect on his reaction pattern. I think it should have a mitigating effect, says Mjelde. He asks for a discount of one to two months for this. He asks that the accused be seen in the mildest possible way. Felt threatened The man is one of the men who was acquitted in the gang rape case. In court, he explained that the case bothered him. – I was judged before it even started, he says. On 17 May, the defendant had not dared to go out, and had taken cocaine to cheer himself up. He says that throughout the day he received comments about the gang rape case from people he did not know. “Aren’t you the ‘rapist'”, one of the comments is said to have been. Out with his veins, he had drunk alcohol and taken more cocaine. About the violent incident, he says that he did not recognize those he hit. – I think I hit. Hands tied. I didn’t hit to hurt. All I could think was “get away”. After he had knocked down the man in his 60s, the defendant left the town and wanted to hurt himself. He explained that he has been struggling mentally for a long time. The defendant says he is ill, and says he will get help. Lawyer Erik Johan Mjelde is defending the man in his 20s. Photo: Kari Nygard Tvilde / news – Soft blood According to the indictment, the defendant hit the victim with a clenched fist, causing the victim to fall to the ground, hit his head, and lose consciousness. – I had a very brutal encounter with granite slabs. The back of my head. I think that the fact that he didn’t kill me there was luck, says the offended man in his 60s in Hordaland district court. – There was a lot of blood, he says. Two others are also offended in the case. According to the indictment, the defendant allegedly hit and kicked a person while the victim was lying on the ground. The defendant is also said to have pushed a woman several times, so that in one case she fell to the ground. The man in his 20s is charged with one case of bodily harm and two relating to bodily harm. The accused has admitted criminal guilt. – He has been extremely lucky. And that’s my luck, and it won’t benefit him, said the man in his 60s. – Shouted “stop” In court, the main evidence is a video that was filmed by a witness. This shows a man in his 30s lying on the ground, and the accused man in his 20s standing nearby. When the man in his 60s approached the 20-year-old, he was also beaten. – I only remember that, and it is very vague, but the soundtrack on the video confirms that I shouted “stop”, loudly, several times, says the man in his 60s. He says he has “such patterns of action”. – I have saved people in very difficult situations, several times, without it having had consequences like this here, says the man in his 60s. In court, the victim said that he is afraid that he, or those around him, will meet the defendant in the local area. – Something clicked The first offender was not known to the defendant before the incident. The other two victims have a close relationship with the defendant. The offended man in his 30s explained that he had wanted to bring the accused to the 17 May celebration. When they were sitting in a pub, something had happened between the defendant and someone else, which caused the defendant to leave the pub. The offended man and two women followed. The defendant is said to have said that no one believed him. This was something the offended party thought applied to the incident at the bar. The situation even with the defendant punching the victim in the neck and face. – Something clicked. That’s what made it so disgusting, says the victim. – Completely blind election The prosecutor and police lawyer Camilla Moe asked for an unconditional prison sentence for the defendant. – The violence was carried out with full intent, says Moe. – The battle is very hard. It’s a total knockout, she says. Moe brought up that the defendant has been in court for cases involving bodily harm before, and also brought up the relationship the defendant has with drugs. – We take very seriously the fact that it is an incident of blind violence, without any particular precedent or obvious reason, said Moe before the trial. Police lawyer and prosecutor Camilla Moe. Photo: Kari Nygard Tvilde / news Public prosecutor Hilde Cecilie Matre asked that the defendant be sentenced to pay compensation to the man in his 60s. – It is completely blind violence that has gone beyond my client. And he is happy that the matter comes up as quickly as it does, said Matre before the trial. She asked for compensation at the court’s discretion. With an estimated 50–60,000 and a financial loss of NOK 12,121. Hilde Cecilie Matre is the assistance lawyer for the man in his 60s. Photo: Kari Nygard Tvilde / news Suffered injuries According to the indictment, the offended man in his 60s suffered a cut on his forehead which required three stitches, a cut on his right eye which required two stitches, and a broken nose. Matre says her client has injuries and delayed injuries. – Now it hasn’t been many weeks, and he is still very affected in several ways. The man in his 30s has subsequently had problems with his vocal cords and has been unable to work or be social. Assistance lawyer Kent Fredriksen asked, on behalf of the man in his 30s, that the defendant be sentenced to pay restitution compensation, determined at the court’s discretion. He says the client is affected by the case. – It has hit him hard. He shows signs of this even today, says Fredriksen before the trial. The offended woman did not appear in court. Lawyer Kent Fredriksen is the legal counsel for the man in his 30s. Photo: Kari Nygard Tvilde / news Published 25.06.2024, at 15.51 Updated 25.06.2024, at 16.45
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