– What signals does this give to people, and to the father and the teenager. Evert “Boa” Simonsen asks that it is okay to illegally break into other people’s homes and use violence and make threats. The mother, Randi Mikkelsen, is also very disappointed by the police’s decision. – I have always had respect for them, but now I have lost all trust in the police. I will probably call someone else the next time I need help, says 70-year-old Mikkelsen. It was late in the evening on 4 August this year that Simonsen and Mikkelsen had uninvited guests in their house in Gakori in Alta. They say that a father and his teenage son ran around the house and knocked on walls and windows, before climbing in through an open bedroom window. Randi Mikkelsen says that the reported man broke her son down on the floor. Photo: Hanne Larsen / news From there they went into the kitchen, where Simonsen and his mother Randi were. – The father flew at him “Boa” and took him by the throat. The boy shouted and used his mouth as he attacked “Boa” from behind, says Mikkelsen. She says that the man grabbed her son, who was sitting at the kitchen table, pushed him against the wall and hit him in the face. – He then broke “Boa” onto the floor so that the box for paper waste smashed, says Mikkelsen, and shows off the broken plastic basket. – It was so terrifying. I have never been so scared in my entire life, she says. Tired of the driving culture The background for the confrontation was that Simonsen had reacted to the teenager’s noisy moped driving. Unreasonable driving with mopeds and four-wheelers has been a major problem in Alta for several decades. While parts of the population have been sleepless on bright summer nights, the police have had repeated checks and raids on youth environments. – I was so tired of that moped driving at all hours of the day. It has been going on throughout the summer, says Simonsen. According to Simonsen, the boy in question had a moped which is extremely noisy. When he let it idle in his gate opening, Simonsen had enough. He took the teenager’s moped keys and threw them into the forest. – It was the famous drop that caused it to overflow, he says. Simonsen admits that he could have tried to talk to the boy before taking the keys. – I could, but I was so annoyed that I just took them and threw them away, he says. After he took the keys, Simonsen went inside and locked the front door. He had been at work for 12 hours and wanted to go to bed. Admits having grabbed Simonsen Shortly afterwards, the ruckus started. Then the father came with his son in tow to get the keys back. – I was sure they were going to smash the windows before they got in. They threw the shoes away from the stairs. My mountain boots were strewn across the lawn, says Randi Mikkelsen. She called the police, who came to the scene with three police officers. Only then did the situation calm down. Simonsen believes the reaction from the father is completely unacceptable. – When you jump in through people’s windows and threaten and beat them, you have broken a boundary. Home is a place where you should be able to feel safe, he says. Evert “Boa” Simonsen shows how the man and his teenage son got in through a bedroom window that was ajar. Photo: Hanne Larsen / news The incident ended with Simonsen reporting both father and son for violence and threats. news has spoken to the reported man. He admits that he and his son got in through Simonsen’s window. On the other hand, he denies having hit Simonsen in the face, but confirmed that he grabbed him. The man also admits that the next day he should have told Simonsen that “you will have to pay for this”. However, he says that this involved payment for the lost keys. According to the man, all this would have been unnecessary if Simonsen had not taken his son’s keys. The man was on duty when he sought out Simonsen on the August evening in question. He wore a work uniform and drove a company car. The man’s employer says they have treated this as a personnel matter. – How much evidence is needed? Simonsen says that when he was going to report the case, he was met by the police in Alta with: – “You are aware that there may be a counter-report?”. I got the feeling that they already had an idea of how the case would end, says Simonsen. Even after the arrest, Simonsen is dissatisfied with the way he was met by the police. – When I was going to complain, I was told to write a good and comprehensive letter of complaint. I was also told to make suggestions on how the case should be investigated further, says Simonsen. Evert “Boa” Simonsen believes that home should be a place where you can lock the door and feel safe. Photo: Hanne Larsen / news He believes the police’s work has been plain. – They have dropped the case because of the state of the evidence. But how much proof do they need? Randi Mikkelsen also has a bad feeling. – I don’t know if they think I’m old and lazy. But I am very upbeat. I have a feeling that the police don’t believe me, she says. Evert “Boa” Simonsen and his mother Randi Mikkelsen had locked the door, but the intruders did not let that stop them. Photo: Hanne Larsen / news First did not want to report Police prosecutor Lena Sagnes Wågan states in an e-mail to news that the case has been dropped on the status of the evidence, as the sequence of events is unclear. She says that neither party wanted to report the case on the evening of 4 August. – No further track protection was therefore done, says Wågan. A few days later, however, the aggrieved party in the case wanted to file a complaint. Those involved were summoned for questioning, and two witnesses were questioned. Wågan says that the information that came out during the interrogations had changed in relation to what was explained to the patrol on the evening of the incident. – In order to bring charges, it must be beyond reasonable doubt that the suspect has been guilty of what he or she is charged with. The police do not think it is objectionable Police station manager in Alta, Steinar Aas Andersen, believes that it is difficult to see that the police have done anything objectionable in the meeting with Simonsen. He believes the police have wanted to guide. – I do not know whether this has been misunderstood, but if the victim believes that the police’s behavior at the station is reprehensible, we recommend that he submit a complaint to the police district. We want to get better, writes Andersen in an email. The head of the police station in Alta, Steinar Aas Andersen, says that the police only wanted to guide Simonsen. Photo: Eskil Wie furunes / news He believes the matter could have been dealt with in the conflict council. – In this case, however, only the notified party and not the aggrieved party has consented to the conflict council, says Andersen. Evert “Boa” Simonsen says he has not heard a word about the conflict council. – In any case, this is about violence and has nothing to do with the conflict council, says Simonsen.
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The police dropped a case where a man and his teenage son entered through a bedroom window – news Troms and Finnmark
