Trøndelag police district has now been investigating the case for over five months. On Monday, they came up with a status report. – There are serious accusations coming from those who have explained themselves. Then we will discover through the investigation whether something criminal has happened here, says investigation manager Ellen Mari Burheim at Trøndelag police district to news. On 24 August, the doctor was charged with abusing his position to obtain sexual intercourse. The doctor denies criminal guilt. The abuse allegations stretch back to the 1990s. The police have seized a significant amount of video material from the accused’s doctor’s office. There he has filmed patients who have come to be examined. The police will review this to see if it can be of importance as evidence in the case against the doctor. – It will take several months to review. I think we are probably still talking towards the summer before everything has been reviewed, says Burheim. The police hope to be able to identify those who have been filmed and will continue to contact them – regardless of whether they have reported to the doctor or not. – As the seized material has highly personal sensitive content, it is important to emphasize that this is reviewed by a limited group of investigators, and that the case has been shielded internally within the police during the entire investigation. It is also important to establish that there is no suspicion or anything to indicate that the material has been shared with others or that there are copies beyond what the police possess, says investigation manager Ellen Mari Burheim at Trøndelag police district. Filming of others is considered reckless and troublesome behavior in the Criminal Code. – This is about a breach of trust. This is not something that it seems that anyone has agreed to, says Burheim. The doctor has worked as a municipal doctor and general practitioner for many years in the small municipality of Trønder. He has been temporarily suspended by the Norwegian Health Authority. The background to the charges and suspension are reports from a number of female patients about transgressive and sexual behaviour. The municipality fears dark figures On 25 January, the municipality organized a press conference to talk about their handling of the abuse case against a doctor in the municipality. Then both the mayor and the municipal director said that the doctor had been fired and that they have reason to believe that there may be many more affected in the case. They fear large dark numbers. The doctor’s lawyer, Karl Bjørnar Olsen, reacted strongly to the municipality’s press conference. He thought it contributed to prejudging the doctor. Following the press conference, one new woman has made contact. A total of 88 women have now called the hotline that was set up in August last year, the municipal director tells news. Offer for clitoral massage It was on 9 May 2022 that the municipal management first learned that the State Administrator in Trøndelag had opened supervision proceedings against the doctor. The background was reports from female patients about unpleasant experiences. During the summer of 2022, the supervisory case grew. On 18 July, the Norwegian Health Authority decided to temporarily suspend the authorization of the doctor. On 24 August, the doctor was charged by the police. The same day, the police searched his home. This assault case is one of the largest and most resource-intensive assault cases in Trøndelag police district, according to head of investigation Ellen Mari Burheim. In 2007, the doctor received a warning from the Norwegian Health Authority after, according to three female patients, he allegedly offered clitoral massage in connection with gynecological examinations.
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The police inform about the investigation – news Trøndelag
