It has been 24 years since the murders of Stine Sofie Sørstrønen (8) and Lena Sløgedal Paulsen (10) in Baneheia in Kristiansand. Viggo Kristiansen was found not guilty. He served more than 20 years in prison after he was designated as the ringleader by his comrade Jan Helge Andersen. The case was reopened and Andersen is now held responsible for the murders of both girls. Defense attorney Svein Holden does not want to comment on Andersen’s wish for physical absence, but the lawyer for the bereaved confirms that this has been raised in a preparatory meeting. – It is a matter of how much Jan Helge Andersen will follow from the case, says aid lawyer Håkon Brækhus to news. – He himself does not want to be physically present in the courtroom that much. As far as news understands, no formal request has been submitted for Andersen to follow the case on video link, so the court has not made a decision on this issue. The law states that the defendant must be present during the trial, but can be given permission not to be present based on his own explanation. Jan Helge Andersen during the reconstruction after the murders. Photo: The police On a link from home? 40 days have been set aside for the case in Sør-Rogaland district court in Sandnes. Three of the days are currently set aside for Andersen’s explanation. Potentially, he can therefore avoid attendance for 37 days, if he requests an absence and is granted this. Brækhus says that it is up to the court to decide this. – There is talk of him possibly following the case via video link, says Brækhus. State Attorney Johan Øverberg will not comment on Andersen’s presence in court. Stine Sofie Sørstrønen (left) and Lena Sløgedal Paulsen photographed during a boat trip in 1998. Photo: PRIVAT / NTB scanpix This is the Baneheia case * Stine Sofie Sørstrønen (8) and Lena Sløgedal Paulsen (10) were raped and killed in Baneheia in Kristiansand 19 May 2000. They were found two days later. * Viggo Kristiansen and Jan Helge Andersen were sentenced to 21 years in custody (minimum term of 10 years) and 19 years in prison, respectively. * Kristiansen was convicted of rape and murder of both girls. Andersen was convicted of rape and murder of Sørstrønen and complicity in the rape of Paulsen. He singled out Viggo Kristiansen as the main man behind the murders. * Andersen confessed – Kristiansen has always claimed that he is innocent * The commission for the resumption of criminal cases had the case on its table for the seventh time in the summer of 2017. * In February 2021, the commission decided that Viggo Kristiansen will have a new trial of the criminal case. * On Friday 21 October, Attorney General Jørn Maurud decided that he will go to the Court of Appeal with a message that Viggo Kristiansen should be acquitted of the murders and assaults for which he was convicted. District Court confirms District Judge Tor Christian Carlsen states that there has been an informal meeting at Teams between the actors in the case. The topic of the meeting, which took place on 22 January, was how the matter should be carried out. Carlsen will not go into more detail. Legal aid attorney Brækhus tells news that it is their wish that Andersen be in court during the case. – When it comes to attendance, it is always desirable that the defendant is present as much as possible, says Brækhus. ANSWERS: Counsel for the bereaved Håkon Brækhus meets the press outside the Oslo courthouse last year. Photo: Amanda Iversen Orlich / news Security arrangements The Attorney General indicted Jan Helge Andersen for the murder of Lena Sløgedal Paulsen (10) in mid-January. Brækhus does not want to go into the reason for Andersen’s desire for a video link. From what news understands, Andersen’s presence in Sandnes is also about the security arrangements around him during the total of eight weeks the trial will last. The background for the petition to reopen the case against Andersen was new findings of DNA that matches Andersen’s from various places on the body or clothes of Lena Sløgedal Paulsen.
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Jan Helge Andersen will follow the trial on video link – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
