– I think, without having the entire Norwegian legal history in my head, I would be very surprised if there are any cases in Norwegian legal history with so many charges for rape. That’s what Kjetil Kolsrud says to news. He is editor of the industry newspaper Rett24. On Tuesday, the indictment came against the former municipal superintendent in Frosta. The former municipal superintendent has been charged with the rape of 88 women. 96 women have the status of aggrieved in the case. The doctor has always denied criminal guilt. – This is a serious and extensive indictment, said state prosecutor Eli Nessimo. The doctor is said to have had sexual relations with patients who were unable to resist the actions. The rapes are said to have occurred during medical examinations in the period 2004 to 2022. Editor in Rett24, Kjetil Kolsrud, says that this will be a long trial because you have to go through all the details in all the cases. Photo: ISMAIL BURAK AKKAN / news A large-scale case – Then there is an additional dimension here. This is a doctor who has been charged. So you have this abuse-of-position element, which includes many of the posts, which makes the matter even more serious. – And then of course we have to emphasize that this is an indictment. No one has been convicted here. The man’s defender, Erlend Hjulstad Nilsen, says that the case has been a significant burden for the former municipal superintendent. Photo: Vegard Woll / news The man’s defense attorney Erlend Hjulstad Nilsen says that the question of criminal guilt will be a topic in upcoming police interviews. – Our client agrees that the indictment is very serious and very comprehensive, says the defendant’s lawyer, Erlend Hjulstad Nilsen, in a statement. – If there is a conviction on all the points on which the prosecution has brought charges, then I would think that this is the most extensive morality case we have seen in Norway, says Kolsrud. Many identical cases Kolsrud has read the indictment and says that many of the cases are identical. He points out that there are patients who have been examined, where, according to the prosecution, they have been subjected to sexual abuse. The man has previously told the police that he filmed the examinations in order to have evidence. In a letter to the Norwegian Health Authority, the doctor explained that the video material would document that he is innocent. “In this way, he wanted to secure evidence that all investigations were carried out within acceptable standards – should new accusations be made,” the letter says. – That is the central thing here. Because of course it is not rape if it is a lawful investigation. – So that is perhaps where the breaking point of the case lies: To what extent were these investigations lawful or not. The man is being prosecuted for rapes that allegedly took place from 2004 to 2022. Photo: Jøte Toftaker / news 16-week trial Kolsrud says that several times before he has seen cases where people have abused their position to obtain sexual intercourse. – That in itself is not that unique. But the unique thing here is the extent of it and the long time frame. The rapes the man is accused of stretch from 2004 to 2022, but the assault charges against him stretch back to the late 90s. So a period of over 20 years. The trial starts on November 5. 16 weeks have been set aside for the case. Roughly 2,600 people live in the small Trøndelag municipality of Frosta. Photo: Tariq Alisubh / news – It is a very long trial, and the reason why it is so very long is that there are so many victims, because each individual offense must be proven. 96 women have the status of offended in the case. – Each and every item must be proven beyond reasonable doubt in order to be convicted. It is not sufficient to take one typical example and say that it was the same in the others, so therefore he must be judged for all. – You have to go through all the details in all the cases. And since there are so many victims, it will be a very long trial. Published 18.09.2024, at 09.05
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– We have never had such a large-scale case in Norwegian criminal law – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
