Last week, the trial took place after comedian Frank Arne Olsen was reported by the police for wearing a police uniform in a Facebook video. Now he has been acquitted in Nord-Troms and Senja District Court. – It was the only sensible thing to do. The judge has taken our points, and writes in the judgment that it is quite obvious both in appearance and content that this is a revue character, says Ulf Hansen, who has been Olsen’s defender in the case. – Frank is very happy with the result, according to the defender. Since the beginning, Olsen himself has asked questions about why the police chose to take the case to court. – I think this is a non-issue. It would be too stupid for the police to spend so much resources on a uniform that has expired, Olsen told news last week. The legal battle began after someone tipped off the police about a video Olsen published online to promote an upcoming performance. In the video, he is in character as the character “Kliff Arne”, a character who has several roles, including policeman. You can see the video itself further down in the case. Section 165 of the Criminal Code Misuse of public uniform, insignia or title etc. Punishable by a fine or imprisonment of up to 6 months, anyone who: by unrestricted use of a uniform or in any other way publicly pretends to have public authority in such a way that it is likely to create inconvenience for someone or weaken confidence in the public authority , unrestrainedly uses a Norwegian or foreign public weapon, mark or seal or something that can easily be confused with such, or unrestrained publicly or unlawfully uses a Norwegian or foreign public title. Comedian Frank Arne Olsen (th) and his lawyer Ulf Hansen fought hard against the former’s outdated police uniform being confiscated by the authorities. They succeeded in that. Photo: Trygve Grønning / news – Has not misused the uniform It is section 165 of the Criminal Code, unlawful use of a police uniform, which the police believe Olsen has violated. Police believe that by wearing the uniform in the Facebook video, the comedian was wearing it in public and may have misled people into thinking he was a real police officer. Olsen has always disagreed with that. Monday’s court decision states that the Facebook video must be considered part of the public, but that Olsen’s character cannot be confused with a real police officer. – I have always been very careful not to misuse the uniform. I don’t think I have done that here. – I think it is very strange. The police have been aware that I have had the uniform all along, and I even performed at their Christmas table last year, Olsen told news in October. It is with this video that the police believe Olsen has misused the uniform. The text at the top was written after the video was published. Photo: The police/private The police wanted to confiscate the uniform – For the police, it is very important that those you see in uniform in public are actually police officers and not an actor, said police attorney Malene Sofie Kjemsaas to news after the court hearing. news tried to get in touch with Kjemsaas on Monday afternoon. She will not answer whether the police will appeal the verdict. – People who see us in uniform should know that it is actually the police, and that you can expect help. Therefore, the police wanted to confiscate the uniform, which Olsen received from a retired policeman many years ago. – We are aware that he has had it for a long time, but then it was used on a revue scene. But here we mean it has been used in public and posted on a public page, said Kjemsaas. Police prosecutor Malene Sofie Kjemsaas during the court hearing last week. Photo: Trygve Grønning / news According to Kjemsaas, the police believe that there is a certain risk that Olsen could post similar videos in the future, and believe it is for the best that he returns the uniform. Kjemsaas points out that the control and use of such uniforms has been tightened after 22 July 2011. – Meaninglessly, Olsen has for his part said that the video recording was intended as an advertisement for his performance, and thus regards the car as his stage. – I am sitting in my private car, inside my private garage. I don’t think it’s in the public domain. It’s like standing in the shower, it’s private, Olsen told news. Hansen thinks the provision on the use and misuse of public uniforms is sensible, but thinks the police’s application in this case is unreasonable. Ulf Hansen is Olsen’s defender in the case. Photo: Trygve Grønning / news – I think this is pointless. When you think about everything you don’t have the resources to investigate, this becomes completely unreasonable, he says. Police attorney Kjemsaas has for his part said that the police opened a case on the basis of tips from the public. – The police deal with major and minor cases, and can assure you that not a lot of resources have been used on the part of the police.
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Comedian Frank Arne Olsen “Kliff Arne” acquitted for using police uniform as costume in video – news Troms and Finnmark
