Four out of five men in their 20s have been convicted in the Hordaland district court on all charges. A 26-year-old man has been acquitted of aggravated rape. The man began to cry when it became known that he had been acquitted of the much-discussed gang rape. This is the verdict: Man (23): convicted both of aggravated rape in January 2021 together with two others, and of aggravated sexual intercourse with an underage girl in 2020. Prison for five years and six months, of which nine months are suspended. Compensation totaling NOK 315,000. He is appealing the sentence. Man (24): convicted of aggravated rape in January 2021 together with two others. Imprisonment for five years, with one of the years being served conditionally. Compensation of NOK 235,000. He is appealing the sentence. Man (26): acquitted of aggravated rape in January 2021 together with two others. Man (24): convicted of gross sexual intercourse with an underage girl in January 2020. Imprisonment for one year, of which two of the months are served conditionally. Compensation of NOK 80,000. Takes time to think. Man (25): convicted both of gross sexual intercourse with an underage girl in January 2020 and of sleeping rape in the summer of 2018. Prison for three years and eight months, of which six months are suspended. Compensation totaling NOK 255,000. He is appealing the sentence. Three of the four convicted (Mann 23, 24 and 25) appealed the verdict on the spot. The latter wants time to reflect. Those convicted do not have to pay court costs. The court believes that around 10 percent of the sentence should be served conditionally. The reason is the great exposure the case has received, among other things, in social media. – I think it is very positive that the court clearly marks that this type of exposure from private individuals during a trial is not accepted, says Ellen Eikeseth Mjøs, the 25-year-old’s defense attorney. The trial was interrupted several times and resulted in three reviews. The reasons were, among other things, leaks from the courtroom and exposure in social media. Both the names and photos of several of those involved were leaked. Eventually the doors were closed to the public. Mostly satisfied with the result Hilde Cecilie Matre is the lawyer assisting the offended woman. She says that they perceive the sentence as a good and correct one. – I think it was a very thorough judgement, and a lot that we have to understand, of course, she says. The prosecutor in the case, Benedicte Hordnes, is satisfied with the conviction on all three counts, but disagrees with the acquittal of the 26-year-old man. – This is the one point where the defendants have been successful because they have come up with a new, coordinated, constructed explanation in court that he came in later, and have not understood that the action was not voluntary, says Hordnes. Now they must thoroughly review the reasons for the acquittal and make an assessment as to whether they wish to appeal the verdict. State Attorney Benedicte Hordnes is the prosecutor in the case. Photo: Valentina Baisotti / news Erik Johan Mjelde, who is defending the acquitted, tells news that his client is very relieved by the acquittal and happy to be believed in court. – He only wants to put the matter behind him, he says. – Having a hard time All the defenders of the convicted express that their clients are having a hard time after the verdict was read out in court this afternoon. – He has it terribly hard. Of course, he appears very affected by this, but so would anyone with this outcome here, says Maria Hessen Jacobsen. She is the defender of the 24-year-old man who was convicted in the district court. The defenders are happy with the court’s decision to grant a penalty discount for the exposure in social media. – It only shows that it is so serious that they have given a penalty discount for the relationship, albeit far too small, but still a discount, says Torbjørn Kolås Sognefest, defender for the 23-year-old man. The court believes they should check the age The verdict in the serious rape case in Bergen was read out in Hordaland district court this afternoon. All five men have always denied guilt in the case, which has caused chaos both in court and in social media. Each charge was read out in front of the five accused men. The doors were closed to the public, but a lot of press had turned up to follow the sentencing. Three of the men were charged with sexual intercourse with a minor, but in the district court they were convicted of gross sexual intercourse with a minor. The majority of the court believes that the defendants should have checked the girl’s age, even though she herself claimed that she was over the legal age for sexual intercourse. – The defendants did not rely on anything other than the victim’s own information, said the judge. One of the offended women said that she was tied up and raped by three of the men at a party in 2021. Now the verdict is clear. Photo: Valentina Baisotti / news Assistance lawyer: – Good with a decision Before the sentencing, defense attorney Maria Hessen Jacobsen told how her 24-year-old client was doing. – It has been terribly difficult for him, and he is very excited about the outcome. Hilde Cecilie Matre is the lawyer assisting the aggrieved woman. She says that her client is not present in court today, but that she is looking forward to a decision. – It will be good for everyone with a decision. Waiting is not easy for anyone. Assistant lawyer Hilde Cecilie Matre in Hordaland district court. Photo: Valentina Baisotti / news The five defendants belong to the same environment in Bergen. Throughout the trial, prosecutor Benedicte Hordnes described an environment characterized by expensive watches, expensive cars and group sex. When she dropped her allegation, she asked for the following for the defendants: The prosecutor’s allegation: Man (23) accused of aggravated rape and sexual intercourse with children under 16: The prosecutor asked for five years and six months in prison. Man (24) charged with aggravated rape: The prosecutor asked for five years in prison. Man (26) accused of aggravated rape: The prosecutor asked for five years in prison. Man (25) charged with sexual intercourse with children under 16: The prosecutor asked for one year in prison. Man (25) indicted for sexual intercourse with children under 16 and sleep rape: The prosecutor asked for three years in prison. All the defenders filed a claim for acquittal. Posted in social media The case has received a lot of attention, especially among young people around the country. During the first days of the trial in May, many young people showed up to follow the case from an audience room in the district court. But not everyone respected the ban on taking pictures and filming what happens in the courtroom. Such posters were hung up and displayed in Bergen. The posters showed the full names and addresses of the five accused men. Photo: Privat This did not put an end to the exposure. Posters with the names and addresses of the defendants were hung up in Bergen’s streets before the last week in court. Both the actors in the court and law professors have gone out in the media and said that they have never seen anything like it.
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