– In the spring of 1995, I lost my cousin. She was a great girl. Afterwards I tried. The whole family has tried to find out who killed her. It was an emotional cousin who reacted strongly when questioning after questioning from him was read out by defender Bråstein. It is the defenders of the 52-year-old man who is charged with the murder of Birgitte Tengs who had summoned his cousin as a witness. But along the way it seemed that it became more and more unclear to the cousin why he was in court. – I was interrogated for a long time in 1995. I did the best I could to help the police. I sat in long interrogations in 1997 for the same purpose. I have made myself available and I am doing so now. Birgitte deserves it. The fact that I trust the police has been used against me. It is something that has consistently led to the obfuscation of this matter, which is absolutely damning. That’s what I’m hearing now too. It must end, said the cousin. – You think the matter is being clouded, Bråstein asked. – I have sat and heard my thoughts about a betting match. That must stop. The truth is that it was all hype from end to end, and now we’re sitting and listening to it all over again. Defenders Stian Trones Bråstein and Stian Kristensen. The temperature was high when the former asked his cousin out. Photo: Marthe Synnøve Johannessen / news The judge: – Where do you want to go with this? Before the cousin’s statements, which are mentioned above, the temperature had started to rise. Bråstein had made it clear that they did not see the explanations that the cousin had been manipulated into giving as his explanations. He was not the person he had made himself out to be. It was these interrogations that ultimately led to the cousin’s controversial confession. The confession which was later retracted and has been labeled as false. – That is not my explanation, and it is not about me. So why am I sitting here, asked the cousin. – Shall we obfuscate or enlighten me? Then the judge in the trial also intervened. He explained that it was not the court, but the defenders who had summoned him as a witness. A justification had been given for the disclosure of the case. But now he too began to ask questions. – Where do you want to go with this? Will there be any follow-up questions after the reading? It is demanding what you are doing now, said chief judge Arne Vikse. Bråstein assured that there would be questions. The question came. – Can you give a description of the process from your point of view? This question led to the statements at the very top of this case. Bråstein apologized after the statement from his cousin about fogging. The prosecutor wanted to make a closing comment. Defense attorney Stian Kristensen took the floor and asked the cousin several questions about observations the cousin had made, including of a girl who had argued with Birgitte Tengs at a night club. This is supposed to be one of the girls the 52-year-old defendant drove around in the time around the murder. Most of the questions the cousin could not answer because it was a long time ago. Prosecutor Thale Thomseth concluded the whole thing by making a statement: – The prosecution agrees with Asbjørn Rachlew’s conclusions that the confession came after manipulative methods and stress. The confession is a made-up story that the police gave you. That is why we do not need to ask you, and assume that you have no information about the case against the defendant, unless you have something to say. – As far as I know, I have never met the defendant, answered the cousin. Meling: – It was strong for him Lawyer Brynjar Meling accompanied his cousin in court on Wednesday. – The questioning went further than was necessary, says Meling after his cousin’s certificate. THE COUSIN FOLLOWED: Lawyer Brynjar Meling. Photo: Marthe Synnøve Johannessen / news He clarifies that it was important for his cousin to stand still, and that he respects the role of the defenders, but that this was perceived as clouding the case. – He clearly expressed that he does not want to cloud a case, but wants to contribute to clarifying a case. The feeling was that fogging was the agenda, says Meling. Smuggled in the back way Prior to the cousin’s explanation, there had been great excitement about what he would meet and what he was going to see. For most of the years since the murder took place, the cousin has stayed abroad and kept a very low profile. It is the cousin’s father and lawyer Arvid Sjødin, and lawyer Sigurd Klomsæt in the early years, who have mainly been his voice in the media for the last 20 years. Birgitte Tengs was found murdered on 6 May 1995. A 52-year-old man from Karmøy is now charged in the Tengs case, and the trial begins on Monday 7 November 2022.
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High temperature in court when the cousin explained himself in the Birgitte Tengs case – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
