“My client states that he has reported one of the complainants – (…) – for a deliberate false statement. This illustrates that complaints must be followed critically and be subject to contradiction.” That’s what the doctor’s lawyer, Karl Bjørnar Olsen, writes in a reply to the Norwegian Health Authority, which news has been given access to. Head of investigations in Trøndelag police district, Eivind Guldseth, confirms that they are aware of the report. – I think we got it in in March or April. We are waiting for the doctor’s investigation to be completed before deciding what to do with it. Only one person has been reported Guldseth goes on to say that only one woman has been reported by the municipal superintendent. In August last year, the doctor was charged with abusing his position to obtain sexual intercourse with patients. 89 people so far have the status of offended in the case. – We will decide what will happen to the report when the investigation is finished, says Guldseth in the police. Photo: Bjarte Johannesen / news At the end of May, the police expanded the charge to include rape in 34 of the cases. They believe that the patients have been unable to oppose the act. – The doctor’s report on the whistleblower will form part of the overall picture in the investigation of the extensive case, says Guldseth. The abuse allegations against the doctor stretch back to the end of the 90s. So a period of over 20 years. At the end of January this year, the doctor was fired as the municipality’s chief physician in Frosta. – Knocked to the ground The Norwegian Health Authority announced in April that they were considering revoking the authorization of the municipal superintendent in Frosta who is now accused of rape. The doctor had time to respond to the advance warning in May. Through his lawyer, Karl Bjørnar Olsen, the doctor showed, among other things, dissatisfaction with the short time he was given to answer. Lawyer Karl Bjørnar Olsen points out that his client still believes he has done nothing wrong. Photo: Privat The attachment the doctor received from the Norwegian Health Authority was 1,946 pages long, and according to the lawyer, they were arranged in an illogical way. – You are a bit overwhelmed when you receive almost 2,000 pages and have a short deadline to respond. It is almost hopeless, as he himself states that he has done nothing wrong, says Olsen to news. Video supports the doctor’s claims “There are a number of accusations in the case, but my client has had no real opportunity to counter them.”, the lawyer writes further in the reply to the Norwegian Health Authority. The police previously seized over 6,000 hours of recordings on the doctor’s hard drives. Gynecological examinations of patients show a lot, the head of the investigation told news. “However, my client maintains that he has not exceeded the limits that apply to doctors’ activities and refers to the records that have been kept, which follow the case, and which substantiate this. He also refers to seized video material to substantiate this.”, says the reply the lawyer has sent. – A kind of hysteria The Norwegian Health Authority will now consider whether the doctor’s authorization should be revoked. If that happens, he will no longer be able to practice as a doctor in Norway. Lawyer Olsen further writes that they are critical of how the Norwegian Health Authority has handled the case. “At the same time, there is every reason to believe that external circumstances, statements from responsible parties and the media coverage may have influenced patients’ motivation in relation to complaining, and what is being complained about. This makes it particularly important that each individual complaint is thoroughly assessed before a decision is made.” They also point out that the doctor has been prejudged, including in the media. “This has also manifested itself in the fact that patients with revenge motives, (specifically with key words: drugs, driver’s licence, child protection) have been allowed to express themselves freely in the media, without opportunities for defense on the part of the doctor, because he is not exempted from his duty of confidentiality. », claims the lawyer in the reply. Olsen believes this may have influenced perceptions of what should have happened. – He probably feels that a kind of hysteria has been created around the case. It may have influenced both how the case is viewed and the threshold for notifying, says Olsen to news. news has tried to get in touch with the doctor’s other defender, Erlend Hjulstad Nilsen. He has not yet responded to our inquiries. Therefore, news does not identify the doctor news names Frosta municipality in order to be able to follow the municipality’s handling of this case, both over the years and now today. As enshrined in the Vær varsom poster, it is the duty of the press to uncover objectionable circumstances and protect individuals against abuse or neglect by public authorities. The former municipal superintendent has been charged with very serious and criminal offences. He has been a trusted doctor in the local community – who over several years was the GP for 1,700 of the municipality’s residents. At the same time, it is important to clarify that the doctor currently has the legal status of the accused, and not the defendant. He pleads not guilty. The press must show particular caution in cases at an early stage of the investigation. news therefore does not identify the doctor by name at the present time. We are also careful with information about patients who will be part of the case. Do you have something to say? We would like to hear from you if you have something to say about this matter. Perhaps you would like to have a non-binding chat with one of our journalists who works on this? You can also send input, tips and information encrypted and secure via news’s extra secure notification reception – see how to submit via news’s SecureDrop here. Send me an e-mail or contact me encrypted via Signal on 90409094.
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The municipal superintendent in Frosta charged with rape has reported alerts for false statements – news Trøndelag
