Convicted ex-boyfriend (30) appeals the sentence of 17 years in prison for the murder of Sunniva Borgen (23) in Åsane – news Vestland

In September last year, 23-year-old Sunniva Borgen was found badly injured in her own home in Åsane in Bergen. The injuries were so severe that she died after a few days in hospital. Her former boyfriend was recently convicted of the murder. He had admitted that it was black for him and that he attacked her with a knife. In the trial against the 30-year-old, it emerged that he used a total of four knives in the attack, and that Borgen was exposed to almost 50 knife injuries. Now it is clear that he is appealing the judgment from the district court. The defender confirms this to news. Thinks 17 years is too much Defense attorney Torbjørn Sognefest and the former lover think the sentence is too severe. They compare with what has been common legal practice in Norway in the past. – The convicted person has chosen to appeal the sentencing. It is a limited appeal, says Sognefest to news. Defending Torbjørn Sognefest and the family’s assistance lawyer Beate Hamre from the days in court. Now there may be a new court round in the Borgen case. Photo: Synne Lykkebø Hafsaas / news This means that the 30-year-old is only appealing the actual length of the sentence, not the question of whether he is guilty or not. Prosecutor Eirik Stolt-Nielsen called the murder “bestial” and asked for 16 years in prison for that charge. The reason: The murder was unprovoked. In the judgement, the district court judge went through the course of events very thoroughly. In aggravating circumstances, the court pointed out that the convict left her without calling an ambulance, and that he was acting out when the police arrived. The murder is also described as very brutal. “The defendant changed the knife three times because the stabs were so hard that the knives were destroyed,” the court notes in the argument about punishment. In sentencing, the district court refers to a judgment from the Supreme Court in 2017, where a person was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Then they deduct one year for the confession of the 30-year-old and therefore they ended up with 17 years in prison for the murder of Borgen. Calling it “a new level of punishment” In the district court, the defender argued that 15 years’ imprisonment was the appropriate punishment. – The punishment that the district court meted out is, as we see it, not in accordance with case law. This becomes clear when the district court imposed a harsher sentence than the prosecutor’s claim, says Sognefest about the reason for the appeal, before adding: – If a new penalty level is to be established for murder in Norway, this should happen after a signal from either the legislature or the Supreme Court. Sunniva Borgen’s family was relieved after the verdict. – They are relieved that the case is over, although they will always live with the tragedy and the loss of Sunniva, aid lawyer Beate Hamre told news when it came out.



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