The man in his 50s has now been sentenced to 12 years in prison. He must pay over one million kroner in compensation to the four Filipino girls, who, according to the verdict, were 12-13 years old when the man had sexual relations with them. The verdict was handed down in Vestre Finnmark District Court on Friday – and is crushing: “The actions appear to be exploitation of children in an otherwise very difficult life situation, where they asked for money for food, school, transport, or the like. The defendant has exploited this situation for his own satisfaction on several occasions, which makes the case more serious.” The brother notified the police The police were tipped off about the man as early as 2019, more than two years before the assaults took place. A relative of the man was concerned that he was in the Philippines a lot and that he had a special interest in children, Altaposten reported when the case went to court. In 2022, there was another message of concern, this time from the man’s own brother: The brother had taken over a hard drive and found a video of the man together with a girl of barely ten years. When the police decided to search the man in April 2022, it was just a little too late. He had left Norway a month earlier. A few months later he assaulted the four girls. The assaults took place between December 2022 and April 2023. But when the man returned to Norway, the police had prepared well. He was searched and arrested. The man partially admitted what he was accused of, but only after the police confronted him with photos and video that they had seized. Finnmarkingen was already wanted internationally before he returned to Norway, says state attorney Jørn Henning Bremnes, who was the prosecutor in the case. Bremnes says the police in Finnmark together with colleagues in the Philippines did extensive work to find out where the assaults had been committed and who were the victims. –- As I consider it, it is a very well done job to identify them and provide secure information about the birth details. During the trial, the man admitted sexual intercourse with minors, but not with girls under 14. Photo: André Bendixen / news The man’s own recordings show that he has various forms of sexual intercourse with the girls. However, he claimed that the girls were older. One had told him she was 15 and he overheard another say she was 17, he explained. The court refers to the certificates that have been presented and states that the girls were 12 and 13 years old when the abuse started. He had a duty to investigate how old they were, and could not proceed from what he had heard, says the judgment. Photos and video also show that they looked very young, the court believes. Each of the four has been awarded NOK 280,000 in compensation. Defense lawyer Tom Barth-Hofstad will appeal the case on behalf of the client. He says the birth certificates do not serve as proof that the girls were under 14. Photo: Mohammed Alayoubi / news Will appeal Defense attorney Tom Barth-Hofstad says he has spoken to the client, and it is clear that the verdict will be appealed. – The result is sensational and should be tried before the Court of Appeal, says the defender to news. Barth-Hofstad believes the district court should not rely on the birth certificates of the girls, because they have not been obtained in the correct way. They should have been sent through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or confirmed with a so-called apostille stamp, he says. – One of the two conditions must be in place before you can emphasize a foreign document, says Barth-Hofstad. – The mother of one of the girls, in an audio clip we have played in court, has also confirmed that the girl is one year older than what appears on the birth certificate. So there is every reason to question whether it is correct. In the judgment, it appears that the district court has considered these arguments. They have nevertheless concluded that the certificates are reliable. The age of the girls is decisive for the level of punishment in the case, because sexual intercourse with children under 14 is considered rape. – He has pleaded guilty to the fact that they were under 16, but not younger than 14, says the defender. Duty to prevent Thale Skybak is a section leader in Save the Children, which works to prevent and combat violence and abuse against children. She will not comment on the specific case, but says that all children have the right to protection against violence and abuse. This is stated by both Norwegian law and international conventions. – If you suspect or believe that someone is being abused, you have a responsibility to report this. You are encouraged to report to an aid agency, such as child protection or the police, so that it can be prevented and the child’s right to protection fulfilled. – Many will perhaps be afraid to cast suspicion on someone who has nevertheless done nothing wrong? – Yes, that’s why many choose not to speak up. But we adults have a duty to try to stop and prevent abuse, says Skybak. Everyone has a duty to prevent abuse, says Thale Skybak in Save the Children. Photo: Redd Barna PS: Norwegian criminal law also applies to some crimes committed abroad, including sexual assault.
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Finnmarking received 12 years in prison for abuse of several children in the Philippines – news Troms and Finnmark
