The Bureau of Police Affairs first dropped the report against several top police officers in Finnmark. After the assistance lawyer for the victim of violence, Victoria Larsen, complained, the Attorney General demanded a new investigation. This has led to police prosecutor Line Skjengen, who was the prosecutor in the case, now receiving a fine of NOK 8,000. Skjengen disagrees on several points, both in the rendering of the case and the legal assessments. She has not decided whether she will accept the proposal. Victoria Larsen and her father Geir Larsen are disappointed that more of the top police officers in Finnmark are not being held accountable for what they believe to be very extensive mistakes. Dropped charges It caused a stir when the man in his 30s was acquitted of violence and death threats in November 2021. The acquittal meant that he had spent 600 days too long in custody. Line Skjengen was the fifth police prosecutor in charge of the case, and took over just days before the main proceedings. She then believed that the case was too poorly prepared for it to be possible to convict the defendant on the most important points. The police in Finnmark received strong criticism from the state attorney for poor investigation and lack of control over the case. Management at the police district acknowledged the mistakes and apologized to the victims. The man, in his 30s, had previously been convicted of serious violence that had the appearance of torture. He has also subsequently been convicted of several matters. In February, the Court of Appeal confirmed a sentence of five years and six months in prison for a very serious rape. Assistance attorney Vibeke Lindstrøm wrote the complaint which prompted the Attorney General to ask the Bureau to investigate the Finnmark police district more closely. Photo: Knut-Sverre Horn / news Criticism, but not punishment The review on behalf of Victoria Larsen was aimed at both police chief Ellen Katrine Hætta and prosecutor Morten Daae. The police chief was not even questioned in the case, and Morten Daae has clearly not done anything punishable, reads the conclusion. The Bureau nevertheless agrees with the criticism from the state attorney that the case was poorly investigated and followed up. “Neither the defendants in the case nor the aggrieved party’s legal security seems to be adequately safeguarded”, they write. The only person who gets punished is the police prosecutor. When the accused man was acquitted, she did not forward the verdict to the public prosecutor in time. Thus the appeal deadline expired, and the acquittal stood. It is a serious breach of duty, the Bureau believes. Feeling grossly let down Victoria Larsen feels grossly let down by the police district after the trial where several charges were dropped. The man who was acquitted is her ex-boyfriend. – The prosecutor cannot defend herself by saying that she had not been allowed to get involved in the case. Why couldn’t she demand more time or refuse? she asks. Both she and her father are very disappointed that the Bureau has punished only the one police prosecutor. – Mistakes have been made across the board. There is no doubt that they are using her as a scapegoat to get peace, says Geir Larsen. – They do not focus on what the public prosecutor focused on: How he could be acquitted when the evidence was there. Larsen is nevertheless strongly critical of Skjengen’s performance as a prosecutor during the trial, and will not defend her. Police prosecutor Line Skjengen gets help from lawyer Jon Christian Elden after she was subpoenaed by the Bureau. The picture was taken in connection with a previous case. Photo: Roy Hilmar Svendsen / news Getting help from Elden Police attorney Line Skjengen believes it had no real significance that the verdict was not appealed. This is because she, as the attending prosecutor, had waived the charges. She claims that the Court of Appeal would thus have had to reject an appeal anyway. Here, the Bureau believes that she is wrong. “Overall, the Bureau believes that Skjengen’s omission is highly reprehensible and that she is strongly to be blamed.” – Initially, I had intended to pass a motion. Not because I plead guilty, but to get the case out of the world, says Skjengen to news. One point in particular in the decision from the Bureau has nevertheless caused her to have doubts: It is up to the Finnmark police district to assess any personnel consequences. – The errors that I believe the decision is tainted with, together with the fact that it may have consequences for both the current job and future jobs, mean that I find it difficult to adopt the proposal. Skjengen has not decided whether she will adopt the proposal. John Christian Elden assists Skjengen on behalf of the Juristforbundet. First State Attorney Hugo Henstein has chastised the police in clear terms after the acquittal. Photo: Petter Strøm / news She points out that she herself has commented on much of what went wrong during the investigation of the criminal case in a memo. She made it in consultation with her boss. – The points in the memo are essentially the same as the state attorney has subsequently concluded that we need to improve on. I have tried to be loyal as far as I can, but I have been clear. I don’t think the management or the first public prosecutor have taken kindly to the fact that I have been as direct as I have been. – Five lawyers have had responsibility for the case in turn, and there has been a lot of criticism of the work that has been done right from the start. Does it feel unfair that it is now only you who gets punished? – It feels very unfair overall, says Skjengen. – But what I am getting a summons for is that I have not forwarded the judgment so that the city attorney could appeal. It was my responsibility – and something I should have followed up on, but which I personally believe I had no room for as the work situation was. Skjengen is adamant that it was right for her to prioritize other important work tasks in the time leading up to the appeal deadline. This included, among other things, arranged interrogations of children, which have statutory deadlines. Finnmark police district has so far had no comment on the case.
ttn-69
The Bureau punishes the police lawyer after the controversial acquittal of a violent man – news Troms and Finnmark
