Viggo Kristiansen had his case reopened in February last year. After 18 months of intense investigation, the case ended up on the Attorney General’s desk. Today the decision came. – I want to ask the Borgarting Court of Appeal to acquit Viggo Kristiansen, says Attorney General Jørn Sigurd Maurud. – The background for this is that the overall investigation material clearly does not provide an evidentiary basis for prosecuting Kristiansen for the conditions for which he was convicted in the Baneheia case, Maurud continues. The Attorney General’s decision is in practice a final decision, even if the case will go to court. It is the Borgarting Court of Appeal that formally makes a decision in the case against Viggo Kristiansen. When this happens is not determined. – I have great understanding that many feel that they have had to wait a long time for my decision and that this in itself has been a burden for those interested. But part of the investigation has been time-consuming, this particularly applies to new DNA analyses, says Maurud. We know this about the way forward. This is the Baneheia case * Stine Sofie Sørstrønen (8) and Lena Sløgedal Paulsen (10) were raped and killed in Baneheia in Kristiansand on 19 May 2000. They were found two days later. * Viggo Kristiansen and Jan Helge Andersen were sentenced respectively to 21 years’ detention (10 years’ minimum) and 19 years’ imprisonment for the rape and murder of the two girls. * Andersen confessed – Kristiansen has always claimed that he is innocent * The commission for 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. Central DNA evidence Central to the case was a piece of DNA evidence which was previously interpreted as evidence that there had to be two perpetrators. The view on this has now changed. – In a total of nine of the samples taken from the girls, a DNA contribution in the form of a complete or partial profile, compatible with the convicted, Andersen, has been detected. No similar findings have been made in the case of Kristiansen, says Maurud. The previous assumption that there had to be two perpetrators is probably due to the fact that the samples have been contaminated. – Contamination has also been detected in two of the samples. This helps to strengthen the hypothesis that the results in the original samples may be due to contamination, says Maurud. – In summary, it is my assessment that there is no DNA evidence that supports the central premise that was used as a basis, when Kristiansen was convicted, that the actions must have been committed by more than one person. There is no DNA evidence which suggests that Kristiansen is guilty, Maurud elaborates. Believes Andersen has not explained himself correctly. The Attorney General says that the DNA evidence, the teledata evidence and Andersen’s explanation have been central to his assessment. The Attorney General says teledata matches Viggo Kristiansen’s version, and not Jan Helge Andersen’s. (more on this further down in the case). – The phone data is not compatible with Andersen’s version of what happened. In my assessment, Andersen’s explanation suffers from many weaknesses, says Maurud. He goes to great lengths to reject Jan Helge Andersen’s explanation. – Overall, Andersen’s explanation is characterized by inaccuracies and a lack of credibility to such an extent that, in my opinion, it is difficult to place weight in Kristiansen’s disfavour. Apologize Maurud gave more of a clear apology at the press conference. – Based on my own assessment, it is clear to me that this case has had profoundly tragic consequences, especially for Kristiansen, who has served over 20 years in prison, and thus has been robbed of a large part of his life. His loved ones have also suffered an unimaginable loss. I would therefore, on behalf of the prosecuting authority, strongly apologize for the injustice that has been committed. Reopened after seven attempts It has been 22 years since Jan Helge Andersen and Viggo Kristiansen were arrested and convicted of murder and rape by Lena Sløgedal Paulsen (10) and Stine Sofie Sørstrønen (8). Kristiansen received the harshest sentence, but has always maintained his innocence. The case against Viggo Kristiansen was reopened in February last year, three and a half years after Kristiansen’s seventh petition to reopen the case. These are some of the topics in the latest investigation: (press to jump directly to the title) Accusation of Andersen The investigation and the public prosecutor’s decision revolved around Kristiansen’s guilt or innocence. The news from the investigation has nevertheless centered mostly on Jan Helge Andersen. A change in Kristiansen’s role in the case could also have an impact on Andersen’s status in the case. As far as news knows, the police have found no evidence against Kristiansen. Several findings against Andersen have led the police to investigate whether he had a greater involvement or was completely alone in the rapes and murders. This summer, news was able to report that Jan Helge Andersen has been charged with the murder for which he was acquitted in 2002. The background to the charge is that the police wanted to carry out three secret searches on him, and the coercive measures required that Andersen be given new status as the accused in the case. New DNA findings Last autumn it became known that the police in Oslo had made several discoveries of DNA from Jan Helge Andersen on Lena Sløgedal Paulsen (10). The scene in Baneheia is a stone’s throw from the center of Kristiansand. Here crime technicians investigate after the girls were found in May 2000. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB Jan Helge Andersen was convicted of the murder of the youngest girl, and complicity in the rape of both victims in Baneheia in Kristiansand on 19 May 2000. He has only admitted actions against the youngest victim, Stine Sofie Sørstrønen (8). The new DNA findings were made on traces from Lena Sløgedal Paulsen’s (10) right hand, on her tongue and on an intimate body part. Andersen’s explanation In questioning, Andersen maintained that his former best friend Viggo Kristiansen also participated in the crimes, but the new investigations have not found Kristiansen’s DNA on the victims either. Andersen is confronted with this. COLLISION COURSE: Ever since the murders, the two Baneheia convicts have given different explanations. Viggo Kristiansen pictured after his release on 2 June last year. Jan Helge Andersen pictured in connection with an interrogation this summer. Photo: Tor Erik Schrøder/Runar Henriksen Jørstad / NTB/news Andersen has said in questioning that his own sweat may have been applied when the victim was moved at the scene. He also says that he “must have had a blackout” if it were true that he assaulted both girls. In a hypothesis that one person is behind it, it may be important for the police to investigate whether Jan Helge Andersen was nevertheless a modus candidate and not someone who was threatened to commit assault and murder, as he himself has explained. In the new investigation, the police have found unknown allegations of abuse against Andersen, about abuse committed before Baneheia. In one of the cases, victim compensation of NOK 200,000 was paid out. The Re-admission Commission and the Oslo Police District never learned about the charges until the investigators found them. Therefore, the Bureau has investigated the Agder police district, which had the case before it was reopened. MURDERED: Stine Sofie Sørstrønen (8) and Lena Sløgedal Paulsen (10) were raped and killed in Baneheia in Kristiansand on 19 May 2000. They were found two days later. Photo: Privat / NTB Mobile coverage for Kristiansen Oslo police district has not been able to link Kristiansen to the crime scene using mobile evidence. New investigations and questioning of Andersen and Kristiansen have been carried out. The re-recording commission believed that the mobile phone evidence had to be given more importance. The question is whether Kristiansen may have participated in the crimes and sent text messages in the period around 7 pm on the night of the murder, 19 May 2000, when all the messages hit a base station that does not cover the crime scene (coverage area in yellow). Teledata shows two outgoing and two incoming text messages to and from Kristiansen’s mobile phone at 18.55, 18.57, 19.24 and 19.37. All the text messages went via the base station called “EG-A”. Previous investigations showed weak coverage 150 meters from, and good coverage 400 meters from the crime scene. The mobile evidence has been central to Viggo Kristiansen’s case. – There is nothing that can lead to a conviction, said defense attorney Arvid Sjødin on Friday morning.
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The Attorney General requests that Viggo Kristiansen be acquitted – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
