24 years and just over a month have passed since Stine Sofie Sørstrønen (8) and Lena Sløgedal Paulsen (10) were found raped and killed in Baneheia in Kristiansand. Viggo Kristiansen and Jan Helge Andersen were convicted of the murders in 2002. Kristiansen was convicted of rape and murder by both Sørstrønen and Paulsen, while Andersen was convicted only of rape and murder by Sørstrønen. In 2021, Kristiansen had his case reopened, and in 2022 he was acquitted. The new investigation showed that he was the victim of a judicial murder. As a consequence of this, the case was resumed in June 2023 for Andersen, to his so-called disadvantage. He was then accused of rape and murder by Lena Sløgedal Paulsen. The case went to Sør-Rogaland district court this spring. And on Tuesday comes the new verdict against Andersen. news reported from large parts of the new trial here: Stands his ground Andersen has always stuck to his explanation: he and Kristiansen were together in committing the crimes in Baneheia on 19 May 2000. He denies guilt for the murder of Lena. The Baneheia case Stine Sofie Sørstrønen (8) and Lena Sløgedal Paulsen (10) were killed after they had been and bathed in the Baneheia in Kristiansand on 19 May 2000. Jan Helge Andersen was sentenced in the Agder Court of Appeal in 2002 to 19 years in prison for having killed Stine Sofie. Viggo Kristiansen was sentenced to 21 years in prison for the murder of Lena, as well as complicity in the murder of Stine Sofie. In February 2021, the readmission commission decided to reopen the sentence against Viggo Kristiansen, and in December 2022 he was acquitted. The DNA evidence against him from the original verdict proved to be inconclusive, and analyzes of telecommunications traffic concluded that he had not been in Baneheia when the murders took place. In the new trial in Sandnes, Jan Helge Andersen stood accused of also having killed Lena Sløgedal Paulsen. The verdict will come on Tuesday 2 July. His defense attorney Svein Holden said on the first day of the trial that, because Andersen stands his ground, the defense must challenge the prosecution that the murders could have happened as he describes. Holden does not wish to comment on this matter. Svein Holden, Jan Helge Andersen’s defender, does not want to make a statement before the new verdict. Photo: Øystein Otterdal / Øystein Otterdal/news Regardless of the outcome, Viggo Kristiansen is acquitted of the murders. He has served almost 21 years in custody for a sentence which was later regretted by the state and the police. Lawyer Brynjar Meling, who represents Viggo Kristiansen, has not responded to news’s inquiries. What can happen? So what could actually be the outcome for Jan Helge Andersen when the verdict is read out on Tuesday? Well, he can either be convicted or acquitted, but assistant lawyer Audun Beckstrøm sees three possible outcomes: Andersen is convicted according to the indictment as the mastermind behind the murder of Lena Sløgedal Paulsen. Andersen is acquitted of the murder. He is convicted of complicity in murder. – Viggo Kristiansen denies that he has been there, and Andersen claims he was there. Then it will be interesting to see how the court has assessed the evidence, Kristiansen’s testimony and Andersen’s explanation, says Beckstrøm to news. Audun Beckstrøm is, together with Håkon Brækhus, legal aid for the parents of Lena Sløgedal Paulsen and Stine Sofie Sørstrønen. Photo: Tom Balgaard If Andersen is convicted of complicity, one is left with a murder with an unknown perpetrator, Beckstrøm points out. – If Andersen receives a verdict for complicity, it will mean that the parents have received an answer that the court considers Andersen to be complicit in the murder of Lena, and it is important to have this established. But a verdict for complicity will also mean that you have not been given an answer as to who carried out the actual murder. Kristiansen will just as well be acquitted. Defendant Holden highlighted the same three outcomes in his opening statement in court. No request for detention The prosecution submitted a request for two years’ imprisonment for Andersen. It comes from the fact that he has already been sentenced to 19 years in prison. The maximum sentence in Norway for murder is 21 years in prison. The prosecution has therefore not submitted a request for detention. Public prosecutor Andreas Schei justified it by the long time that has passed, and that Andersen “has been released for nine years without being involved in matters that violate the life, health or freedom of others”. State prosecutors Andreas Schei (th) and Johan Øverberg. Photo: Øystein Otterdal / Øystein Otterdal Neither Schei nor his co-prosecutor Johan Øverberg wish to comment on this case. The legal aid lawyers Håkon Brækhus and Audun Beckstrøm have demanded restitution compensation for the parents of the girls. Professor: – Not everyday food Asbjørn Strandbakken is professor of jurisprudence at the University of Agder and leads a research group in criminal law at the University of Bergen. He has followed the Baneheia case over the years. Professor of jurisprudence, Asbjørn Strandbakken, believes that a good review of the evidence in the new trial has been given. Photo: Jens Helleland Ådnanes – I remember it well from the time around 2000. Back then, people followed closely. I was part of it and went for a walk in Baneheia myself, so it was very special, he says to news. He says there is much that makes the case unique. – Firstly, it is a very horrific act committed against two young girls. Then it is special that over 20 years later you get both a reinstatement and acquittal for one, and a new criminal case against the other. It is not everyday food. He believes that Sør-Rogaland district court has handled the case soberly, despite the attention to the case over the years. – When you think about the strict evidence requirement in criminal cases, it is possible to get a sober assessment. So I’m not worried about it. – First of all, the excited Counselor Beckstrøm says the parents of Stine Sofie Sørstrønen and Lena Sløgedal Paulsen hope the latest verdict can provide more answers in the case. Stine Sofie Sørstrønen (left) and Lena Sløgedal Paulsen photographed during a boat trip in 1998. Photo: PRIVAT / NTB scanpix – They are primarily excited, says Beckstrøm. – After all, they have lived with this case for many years and have not had real peace. They hope that through the verdict they will now get some answers, but we do not know whether this will be a final sentence. Published 01.07.2024, at 22.51
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Soon new Baneheia verdict – sees three possible outcomes – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
