A 38-year-old dancer who’s been branded as a serial rapist by police and a long list of victims’ attorneys was sentenced on Friday to 12 years in prison and may be held in custody for much longer.
The sentence handed down by an Oslo Court to Julio Kopseng, who once danced on national TV in Norway, pertained only to six of his alleged victims. He was also convicted for the attempted rape of a seventh woman and acquitted of two other rapes.
Kopseng was sentenced under Norway’s special custody terms called forvaring, aimed at protecting the public. He must serve a minimum eight years in prison and can only be released if a judge determines he no longer poses a threat to the public. In theory, that means he can be held in prison for life.
Court-appointed psychiatrists determined that Kopseng has psychopathic tendencies and that there was a high risk he would commit future sexual attacks, according to the terms of his conviction. He reportedly had a pattern of being charming, not least with female colleagues, and inviting them on dates, only to drug them and rape them, and then act as if nothing had happened.
Kopseng was also ordered to pay compensation of up to NOK 200,000 (USD 23,000) to eight women. He was earlier convicted of raping two women. Yet another conviction on nine counts of rape is under appeal.
newsinenglish.no staff
