– In connection with the Velle case, a mistake was made by the police when the case/complaint was created. In the report, it was written 2018 instead of 2019 – which is correct, writes police inspector in Oslo police district Kjersti Lauvsnes.
She says that the error pursued the case further.
– This meant that Velle was sentenced on the basis that he was under 18, whereas in 2019 he had turned 18.
She adds that this is regrettable on the part of the police, but that they will not take any further action in the case.
Error
Fpu leader Simen Velle wrote on Facebook that he wants to make people aware of a mistake:
NRK mentioned the matter first.
“In the court documents it says that my friends and I were taken in 2018, but after going through the case papers for the first time I have seen a different date, exactly one year later in 2019. The important thing about that is that I was not 17 years old and a few weeks, but 18 years and a few weeks and thus just came of age.”
“I now see that a mistake has probably been made by the police in the investigation, and I think I should know that when I now try to be as open as possible.”
Read the entire post further down in the matter.
Velle has said that as a teenager he used illegal drugs, mainly cannabis. Twice he was caught by the police. It led to one submission and one verdict.
Both Velle and his friends confessed and were convicted. He was sentenced to 30 days’ suspended imprisonment for breaching section 231, first paragraph, of the Criminal Code.
Breaking point
Jørn Jacobsen is professor of jurisprudence at the University of Bergen and specializes in criminal law. He says that 18 is a turning point in legal terms.
– When you are 17 years old, you are still considered a child, so as a general rule you are then treated more gently, says Jacobsen to Nettavisen.
He points out that the Supreme Court has said that as an 18-year-old you must take full responsibility for your actions.
– This is particularly important in more serious cases, for example serious violent and sexual crimes where imprisonment is relevant. It is also important in less serious cases, but then it tends not to have as great an impact as the difference between prison sentences and other forms of punishment, says Jacobsen.
The criminal minimum age in Norway is 15 years.
– Could it be relevant to take up the case based on this information?
– There are rules for reopening cases to the disadvantage of the convicted, but the criteria are strict, says the professor, who does not believe that will happen in this case.