The assault case in Østerdalen has been dropped

Police attorney Anna Brunstad tells news that the police have investigated thoroughly and that they have spent a lot of resources on the case. But after an overall assessment, they leave the case to the state of the evidence. – This is a reason for dismissal that the police use in cases where we do not give any grading of the suspicion. This means that the evidence base is close to bringing charges, but this is also used in cases where the suspicion is weakly founded, says Brunstad. Deputy police officer Anna Vagstad Brunstad at the Innlandet police district. Photo: Lars Erik Skrefsrud / news It was on 8 March this year that five people were arrested in Østerdalen and Glåmdal district by the police and charged with sexual abuse of children. A woman, who is now an adult, has reported two family members and their friends for having abused her from the time she was under ten until she turned 18. The five were arrested at four different addresses at the same time so that they would not influence each other’s explanations. – Extreme burden Lawyer Jostein Løken represents the woman who was charged and who has a family relationship with the person who reported the case. He says that his client is now very happy and at ease, but that this has been an extreme burden. – I tried to comfort her and said from the start that this was going to be dropped, but it’s not so good to know when you’re sitting in the middle of it, says Løken. Lawyer Jostein Løken represents a woman who has a family relationship with the person who reported the case. Archive photo. Photo: Anne Kari Løberg / news Denies criminal responsibility The report came to the police in December last year. The woman, who is now in her 30s, was interviewed by the police in January and February. All five accused in the case, who are in their 60s and 70s, have pleaded not guilty. They were detained for four weeks. All were released before Easter. The reason was that the police believed there was no longer a risk of tampering with evidence. But the police believed that there was still reasonable cause for suspicion. Therefore, the charge was upheld.



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