Three Norwegian men and two women were sentenced to jail terms that theoretically can be extended indefinitely to protect the public, after they were convicted in one of the worst child- and baby abuse cases to ever play out in a Norwegian court. The men and women sexually abused, even raped, babies as young as two months old.
The judge in the court in Drammen, west of Oslo, showed more leniency, though, than the terms prosecutors sought. While they had asked for the special form of protective custody (called forvaring) with terms of as long as 15 years, the judge cut that to terms of from six- to 11 years, with one of the women receiving only a half-year sentence that she already has effectively served while waiting in custody for the ugly case to come to court.
Some of the defendants were already filing appeals on Friday, claiming their sentences were too strict, while the prosecutors were also considering appealing the case in the hopes of securing tougher custody terms. Under the terms of forvaring, though, a judge must rule on whether the defendants are sufficiently rehabilitated when their release dates come up. If not, they can continue to be held.
newsinenglish.no staff
