A man who took a local ferry to an island just off Oslo, proceeded to vandalize property and then beat a local cottage owner to death has been ordered held in remand custody. He was, however, immediately transferred from police custody to a psychiatric institution.
The murder shocked the local community on Nakholmen, known as an idyllic island dotted with holiday cottages. TV2 reported that the murder suspect is a 27-year-old man from Lithuania who has lived in Norway for several years.
He did not object to being held in custody under the condition he be sent to a health care institution. Prosecutor Hilde Strand of the Oslo Police District confirmed that the suspects mental health was a “central theme” during his custody hearing in the Oslo City Court (Oslo tingrett) after the murder Wednesday night.
He will undergo a full psychiatric examination after he first intruded onto several boats moored on the island, tried to break into a vacant cottage and then physically attacked a man who questioned him so brutally that the man was killed. TV2 reported that the suspect has been active in the martial arts and is believed to have been a body-builder as well. He had a police record, but for reportedly minor offenses.
newsinenglish.no staff
