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CRIME

Norwegian man sentenced to 16 years for abusing hundreds of boys

A Norwegian man was sentenced to 16 years in prison on Friday for the sexual abuse, including rape, of several hundred underage boys in what was described as the largest such case in the country's history.

Published: 29 June 2019 09:44 CEST
Norwegian man sentenced to 16 years for abusing hundreds of boys
File photo: AFP

For several years the now 27-year-old posed as a young girl online, mainly calling himself Sandra, and used deception and threats to obtain sexual videos from some 460 boys, many under the age of 16.

However the charges against him, which included sexual abuse and rape, only concerned 270 of the victims.

The man, who was also a football referee, impersonated a young girl and promised sweets, smart phones, naked photos or sexual favours to lure his victims to send him videos — and in a few cases to meet him — and then demanded more by threatening to publish the videos.

The man admitted to some of the charges against him when he appeared before the Nedre Romerike District Court in the country's southeast.

The sentence is among the tougher handed out for sexual abuse in the Scandinavian country, in line with the prosecution's claim that it was “the largest case of sexual abuse in Norway”.

The man's lawyers simply pleaded for the most lenient sentence possible.

The perpetrator was first arrested in June 2016. But he was subsequently released, allowing him to continue his actions until his second arrest in October that year.

He was also ordered to pay 18.6 million Norwegian kroner (1.9 million euros) in compensation to his victims. 

OSLO

Norwegian prosecutor wants maximum sentence for Oslo Pride shooter

Norway's public prosecutor on Tuesday asked that the maximum penalty of potentially life behind bars be handed down to the alleged perpetrator of the fatal shooting at Oslo's 2022 Pride festival.

Published: 15 May 2024 09:18 CEST
Norwegian prosecutor wants maximum sentence for Oslo Pride shooter

Zaniar Matapour, a 44-year-old Norwegian of Iranian origin, has been on trial since mid-March and is accused of an “aggravated act of terror”.

Matapour is accused of opening fire outside two bars in central Oslo, including the gay club London Pub, on the night of June 25th, just hours before the Oslo Pride Parade was to be held.

Two men, aged 54 and 60, were killed and nine others were wounded.

“There is no reason as to why the maximum sentence cannot be used in a case like this,” prosecutor Aud Kinsarvik Gravas said.

The maximum sentence is 30 years but can be extended indefinitely.

“He has shown no remorse or reflection. We have seen no change in him” over the last two years, Kinsarvik Gravas said.

Matapour, who was restrained by passersby after the shooting, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and has never revealed his motives. He pleaded not guilty.

Psychiatric experts have been divided over his mental health, and thereby his legal responsibility, but the public prosecutor deemed him criminally responsible at the time of the events and that he deliberately targeted the gay community.

The sentence sought against him, which includes a minimum of 20 years, would in practice keep him in detention for as long as he is deemed a danger to society.

The alleged mastermind behind the attack, Arfan Bhatti, a 46-year-old Islamist well-known in Norway, was extradited on May 3rd from Pakistan, where he had taken up residence before the shooting.

He will be tried at a later date.

The final part of the trial, due to last until Thursday, will be devoted to the defence case.

A verdict is not expected for several weeks.

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