Vassbakk’s defense attorneys have announced that the verdict will be appealed. The former police officers have been criticized for the process against the cousin of Birgitte Tengs, who was the first to sit on the dock and get a verdict against him for the murder. Several of them welcomed a new investigation when the Cold Case group of Kripos – and later police from Stavanger – got underway. This investigation has now led to a verdict against someone other than the person they thought had killed Birgitte Tengs. What are you thinking now? Chief of Police Karl-Henrik Sjursen was previously chief of police in Haugesund and later in Haugaland and Sunnhordland police districts. He is familiar with all the criticism that has come against the police, and told Dagbladet in 2021 that he welcomed the new investigation, while at the same time saying that they made an “honest attempt” to solve the case in the 90s. Nor does Sjursen wish to comment on the verdict that came today, but says: – I am of course following the case. I hope that we can get a clear decision, which can help the families and the Karmøy community to be reassured that this is the right decision. I have been hoping for that for years. It has not previously led to such a result, but I hope it will now. The police at the scene where Birgitte Tengs was found murdered in 1995. Photo: Eirik/Haugesunds Avis Østberg / NTB scanpix Sheriff Dagfinn Torstveit was a sheriff at the Avaldsnes sheriff’s office when the murder occurred. He was, like several of the other police officers involved, certain that his cousin was the perpetrator. The father of the cousin has previously told news that the police brainwashed the parents of Birgitte Tengs. Torstveit stated in 2016 that he was happy that the Cold Case group recommended the resumption of the investigation. – Yes, we may have overlooked something or other. It hurts me to believe it, but you never know, said Torstveit. Today, he does not wish to comment on the verdict against Vassbakk. – I will of course take note of the judgment. But the judgment is not yet legally binding, and will probably be appealed to the Court of Appeal. Then we’ll see what the outcome will be there. But it would be wrong of me to comment now on a judgment that is not legally binding. Dagfinn Torstveit was a sheriff at the Avaldsnes sheriff’s office when Birgitte Tengs was killed. Photo: Thomas Halleland / news Reidar Gaupås was head of the investigation section at the Karmøy sheriff’s office when Birgitte Tengs was found murdered. He stated to Politiforum in 2021: – We did not have access to the DNA knowledge we have today. This has gotten much better today. We can only hope that a definitive end to the case can be seen. For the time being, news has not been successful in getting in touch with Gaupås today. Reidar Gaupås later became a sheriff at the Karmøy sheriff’s office. The head of the investigation Ståle Finsal was the head of the investigation who came from Kripos to solve the case together with the investigator Stian Elle. He was one of the main figures behind the investigation, which has subsequently been heavily criticized from several quarters. He was also the one who allegedly said that Vassbakk was cleared of the case at the end of the 90s. In an news case in 2018, he also said the following: – I think it is quite tendentious, because if you are going to single out people who do not have an alibi, or who have behaved strangely, then we end up with a lot of perpetrators. Finsal also said that he received several rude messages when a documentary series on TV 2 updated the case again at the time. He later admitted that the arrest of his cousin was a catastrophic mistake. – I have always respected the decisions of the courts. This is also the case this time. I have no comment beyond this, he says today. Ståle Finsal was Kripos’ head of investigations in the 90s. Photo: Ole Andreas Bø / news 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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– Hoping for a clear verdict – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
