The case in summary: • Thomas Walther is accused of demolishing most of a conservation-worthy house in Mandal without a permit.• Walther denies criminal responsibility and claims that the house was damaged in a storm and that there was a lot of rot in the construction.• Lindesnes municipality believes that Walther only had permission for rebuilding and restoration, not demolition.• The municipality has also asked Økokrim to intervene in the case.• Walther and his wife have not yet been able to move into the house due to hidden faults and defects, and several rounds with the building case department in the municipality. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – This case has caused us an unnecessary amount of pain, says home owner Thomas Walther. Together with his wife Therese, he bought an old southern country house at Tregde in Mandal almost ten years ago. But they still haven’t been able to move in. First due to hidden errors and deficiencies, followed by several rounds with the building department in the municipality and finally a police case. HOUSEHOLD TOUR: Thomas and Therese Walther bought the house at Tregde in Mandal in 2015. Only now is it getting close to being able to move in. Photo: Vetle Hjortland / news Believes the house was taken in a storm Now Thomas Walther is charged with having demolished “most” of the house, without permission. This can result in a prison sentence of up to one year. Walther denies criminal guilt. The property is worthy of preservation, and is located in a consideration zone. The 47-year-old explains that so much rot was found that large parts of the construction and foundation had to be replaced. In addition, a fierce spring storm is said to have led to parts of the construction being swept away. – Then we were told that we had to stop the construction process, because what we were doing was illegal. I tried to get in touch with the municipality to ask what we could do, but didn’t get an answer, says Walther. LONG FIGHT: The couple have spent a lot of time reading up on the regulations during the process. Walther usually works as a project manager in Stavanger municipality, while his wife Therese is a project manager in an IT company. Photo: Christina Cantero / news – Can’t just tear Lindesnes municipality replies that the process has followed normal proceedings. – They should have applied for demolition before it got this far. They should have stopped, and applied again, and then possibly received a new permit. If they had received permission, they could have continued with the work, says construction case manager Kjersti Verdal. She points out that Walther had only received permission for rebuilding and restoration, and not for demolition. news has also seen documentation of this. Walther, for his part, believes that the municipality has been unclear about this. This happened in the construction case in 2015: The Walther couple buy the house at Tregde in Mandal. Rehabilitation of the external roof and electrical system is being carried out, according to the couple. 2015-2018: Along the way, they discover hidden faults and deficiencies in the house. This leads to long rounds with the insurance company, where they eventually receive compensation. 2021: The couple receives permission to “remodel the existing home and build an extension” January 2022: Restoration and remodeling begin. Along the way, the couple discovers that there is rot and fungus in the construction, as well as a number of other serious faults that have not previously been uncovered. February 2022: The municipality stops construction work. March 2022: The municipality asks that the couple submit a new application, no later than 10 April. The couple submits an application on 6 April, they themselves inform news. April 2022: Storms cause more of the construction to collapse, according to the couple. April 2022: Lindesnes municipality reports Thomas Walther on 7 April for demolishing the house without permission. June 2023: Agder police district drops the case. August 2023: Lindesnes municipality complains about the closure. July 2024: Agder state prosecutor’s office brings charges against Walther. The trial will go to the Agder district court in November. Verdal describes the matter as a matter of principle, and that it was one of the reasons why they reported it to the police. – It is important to us because the municipality has many buildings that are worth preserving. We believe it is important to show that we cannot just tear them down. The municipality has also asked Økokrim to intervene, according to Lindesnes Avis, which has written about the building case for several years. This is what it looked like after the couple had had construction stopped, in addition to a storm that took away parts of the construction, according to the couple. Photo: Private Special case news has been in contact with Økokrim, which refers to the Agder police. – The decision on investigation and its implementation, and later decision on prosecution, is thus not something that Økokrim has been a part of, says police attorney Ole Martin Paulsen in the Agder police district. The police have also consulted with Agder county council during the investigation. – We have not had similar matters for discussion in my department since I started in 2014, says department head Yvonne Willumsen. The couple hope to be able to move in by Christmas. Photo: Christina Cantero / news – Extreme strain The case will be heard in the Agder district court at the end of November. Then the Walther couple hope to put a final stop to the matter. – It is an extreme strain. We are in standby mode all the time, says his wife Therese. – Is there anything you should have done differently? – We have familiarized ourselves with the regulations as best we can, replies Walther. Hello! Do you have any tips on this or other matters? Feel free to contact me. Published 04/09/2024, at 06.00
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Can end up in prison after domestic nightmare – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
