the police

Early in the morning on Saturday 25 February, a man called the police and claimed that he had been the victim of an assault and a subsequent gang rape in Oslo. The man said he had been threatened, beaten, forced to transfer money and then raped by several perpetrators.

The police took the matter seriously and started an extensive investigation. They brought in video surveillance from the center of Oslo, reviewed telephone traffic, checked bank transfers and questioned witnesses.

Then the police suspected owls in the bog. There were several things that were wrong with the man’s explanation. In the end, they concluded that the man was lying.

– Especially when reviewing the collected video surveillance, we found convicts in situations that did not match the report and eventually we gained grounds to be able to say with certainty that he was not exposed to the crime he claimed. A case was then opened about “accusations of fabricated criminal offences”, police attorney Kari Kirkhorn tells Dagsavisen.

The 26-year-old was sentenced earlier this month to 30 days in prison for reporting a criminal offense that had not been committed. The judgment states that the man had joined and had sexual intercourse voluntarily. The case was first discussed by Sarpsborg Arbeiderblad.

– A false accusation of rape is particularly serious

The man passed the verdict on the spot when the case came up in Søndre Østfold District Court.

The case was carried out as a confession, which means that it was a simplified trial. The 26-year-old gave an unreserved confession, but it only came after the police had uncovered the lie through the investigation.

Police attorney Kari Kirkhorn represented the prosecution in the district court. Here from another trial. (Jon Olav Nesvold/NTB)

The court emphasized in an aggravating way that the incorrect notification concerned a serious criminal offence. Rape committed by several people together is usually considered aggravated rape and carries a maximum penalty of 21 years. It is the longest prison sentence that can be given for ordinary criminal cases in a Norwegian court.

– False accusations of rape are particularly serious, because the victim’s explanation is of great importance in these cases. The report meant that the police unnecessarily spent large resources on the investigation, the judgment against the man states.

Police prosecutor Kirkhorn confirms that the case stole a lot of the police’s resources, as it was prioritized in the initial phase of the investigation.

– Reporting something to the police that has not happened is serious. As in this case, where serious conditions were reported, large resources were initially used. The type of case that was reported is within a priority area where clarification is important to prevent new conditions, she says.

[ Overvåkingsvideo fanget opp skuddene i Moss ]

Thinks it can go beyond the credibility of real rape victims

The police have no record of how often false rape reports are submitted, but a manual review by two police students in 2020, reproduced by NRK, shows that 3.4 percent of all rape cases that were reported between 2014 and 2019 were registered as false accusations. This amounted to 343 cases.

Line Kolstad Rødseth, secretary general of the National Association against Sexual Abuse (LMSO), says that false accusations of rape can have major consequences for both the accused and people who have actually been subjected to rape.

Line Kolstad Rødseth, general secretary of the National Association against Sexual Abuse (LMSO). (LMSO)

– We regard reporting a rape that has not taken place as very serious, especially for the person who is accused. It has major consequences for a person. It is also serious for the trust of those who are actually subjected to rape. Trust and credibility are important in such cases and it is of course devastating when someone reports on false grounds, she tells Dagsavisen.

– Experiencing being believed after a rape or assault can be decisive for the way forward and have major consequences if one is not believed. Fake reviews undermine a basic need after such an event, she adds.

Rødseth thinks it’s a shame that the police have to spend time and resources on false rape reports.

– There are already too few resources in the police and we want better investigations into assault and rape cases. The fact that the police have to spend precious time and resources on cases that are false is of course serious for those who have real cases pending. Waiting for a case to be investigated can be very burdensome and have a great impact on the victim, she says.

[ Kvinne dømt til fengsel for en falsk voldtektsanklage etter et samleie med en kollega på en jobbfest ]

[ Anmeldte hundetyveri av død chihuahua ]

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2023-12-22 21:32:53


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