Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

CRIME

Sheep ‘fishing’ worries farmers

Brutal sheep thieves are believed to be trying to catch animals in western Norway with fishing hooks, in a practice that has been dubbed ‘sheep fishing’ and which is causing concern in farming communities.

Published: 30 December 2013 17:54 CET
Sheep 'fishing' worries farmers
Not the sheep and the lamb in the story. Photo: Anca Tibor

The problem came to light after a number of sheep in Skånevikfjord, between Stavanger and Bergen, were found with hooks in their fleece, newspaper Verdens Gang (VG) reported. A dead lamb was also found without its thighs. Farmer Olaf Sævareid said he didn’t know how many sheep had gone out of his flock of several hundred, but that his neighbour was also missing 7 or 8 ewes.

“I noticed the same thing last year, that they disappeared without trace. They came home from the mountain, then disappeared,” the farmer said.

Police say they believe the sheep are being stolen to be slaughtered.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

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.

SHOW COMMENTS