Trial of former police officer in Bergen postponed due to health issues
The case against a former constable from the Western police district, charged with assaulting his ex-partner, has been postponed. The defendant has himself requested a postponement on health grounds.
Trial of police officer postponed – victim must wait further
A trial against a former police constable from the Western police district in Bergen has been postponed with short notice, reports ba.no. The man in his 30s is charged with serious assault of his former partner and was due to appear in court the coming Monday, when seven days had been set aside over the following two weeks.
The reason for the postponement is the defendant's own health. This is confirmed by chief prosecutor Jan-Inge Wensell Raanes, who is the prosecutor in the case.
"The defendant has requested a postponement due to his own health," he states.
Raanes is not satisfied with the situation.
"This is very unfortunate for the case itself, and especially for the injured party and others directly affected. The postponement is against the prosecution's recommendation," he says.
Due to the tight schedule, an appeal is not currently an option, the chief prosecutor explains. BA has so far been unable to contact the defendant's defence counsel, Bertil Hast Rønnestad.
Tore Johan Sørland is the legal representative for the former police officer's ex-partner, who is the injured party in the criminal case. He describes the waiting period as burdensome.
"It is of course a matter that it would have been good to get concluded. It has been a process to prepare for the trial, which is difficult to go through – but it is also difficult to wait," says Sørland.
It has not yet been decided when the new trial will take place, but the prosecution will request that it be held immediately after the summer holidays.
Investigated twice
The former constable has been investigated twice for violence and assault against the woman. BA first reported on the case in November 2024, when armed officers responded to an address in Bergen and encountered their colleague. The suspicion at that time also concerned intimate partner violence, but the case was closed, and the police officer – who had been suspended – returned to his post.
He was at work for a month and a half before he was arrested again on 25 June 2025 and charged with assault in a close relationship. He remained in pre-trial detention until January, when he was released with an electronic tag.
In April he was formally charged with assault over an extended period, from spring 2024 until his arrest in June that year. The charge sheet describes a comprehensive and serious regime of violence. In addition, repeated death threats and pronounced controlling behaviour are described. He is also charged with having pressured his former partner to provide a statement in an interview claiming that she had not been subjected to violence and other violations.
The defendant denies guilt, according to his defence counsel.
Source: Google News DK — Crime (da)