Accused TV personality: Dismisses ex-partner's fear as "pathological and delusions"
A Norwegian TV personality appeared in the witness stand on Tuesday and rejected his ex-partner's account of fear and control. The man is accused of domestic violence, rape and breaching a restraining order.
TV personality in court: Calls ex-partner's fear "pathological"
A Norwegian TV personality accused of domestic violence, rape and breaching a restraining order took the stand for the first time on Tuesday at the Notodden district court. According to Google News DK — Crime (da), reporting on Dagbladet's coverage, the man rejected his ex-partner's account and called her fear "pathological and based on delusions."
The man denies guilt on all charges.
The woman: A life marked by control and fear
On Monday, the injured party explained her account of the relationship. She described several years of increasing control — what she was allowed to wear, who she was allowed to spend time with, and how she was expected to behave. She further claimed that the man attempted to control when she could seek medical help, and that he refused to allow her to use contraception.
The fear reached such a level that she slept with a knife under her pillow, she explained. She added that she remains afraid of what he might do.
On Tuesday, the woman continued her account and discussed, among other things, the rapes referred to in the charges. The press was present but has been issued a reporting restriction by the court for this part of the testimony.
Defence counsel Anders Bjørnebekk asked the woman about her life before the man was remanded in custody in May.
"It has been difficult and exhausting. Above all because of the uncertainty about when he might show up or what he might do. There has been a lot of work on safety for the children and myself," the woman said.
She explained that she had scarcely dared to travel alone without another adult by her side.
"There have been many sleepless nights. I have been afraid that he would show up in the middle of the night."
The man's account: A "controlled episode"
At 13.20 on Tuesday, the man took the stand. He appeared in jeans and a grey sweater with a notebook and wanted to give his account chronologically from the beginning of the couple's relationship. The woman was present in the courtroom during his testimony, at her own request.
According to her own account, the woman had sent the man a message after she had seen him on television. She was 17 at the time, he was 27-28. In the witness stand, the man wanted to emphasise that the woman was 18 years old when they first met in person.
He described himself as initially sceptical about a relationship, but said that the woman seemed very determined.
"My first impression was not so good — I did not feel a real connection. It later turned out that she had many qualities that I appreciated. But I was very doubtful about whether I wanted to continue — she was, however, determined and committed to it."
An episode from 2021, which the woman had described the day before — where the man threw her to the floor following a row — he did not deny occurred. But he disputed the nature of the act.
"I experienced that she was being unpleasant towards me. It ended with me taking hold of her and laying her down because I was provoked and upset. Such an episode almost never happens between us. It was a one-off occurrence. I did not lose my composure — it was a controlled event."
He added that he would not do it again today.
As he spoke, the woman sat looking down at the table and wiping away several tears.
Separation, reconciliation and demand to stop contraception
After the episode, the couple split up, and the woman took the children to another city. The man described the period as "absolutely dreadful."
"You love your children and your wife, and then suddenly they are gone from your life. At the same time, accusations come and a smear campaign. It was difficult to communicate with her. There was enmity underneath it all."
After seven months, the couple reunited in the autumn of 2021. The man explained that he made the woman two conditions: he wanted sole parental custody and she should stop using contraception. The woman cried during this part of the testimony.
He described the woman's move with the children as an "abduction" — even though she had received help from a crisis centre at the time.
"She misled everyone and deprived them of fundamental rights to be together with their father and family. That is to be regarded as an abduction. Even though it happened with assistance from public authorities, it was built on a lie."
The man explained that the demand to stop contraception stemmed from a wish for the possibility of what he called a "reconciliation child" after the split. The woman became pregnant shortly after they got back together. After the birth, she had herself sterilised in secret — out of fear of his reaction, as she herself explained the day before.
The man said in his testimony that he thought it was a shame that the woman had not been honest about the sterilisation.
"She could have looked me in the eye and said: 'That's enough now.' Then I would have said: 'Okay, then do what you feel is right.'"
The woman reacted strongly to his account. She asked for a break and left the room in tears.
"Not rational — pathological"
The woman has on several occasions explained that she has feared the man. In the witness stand, he rejected this.
"She has never been afraid of me, but she may have experienced it as a delusion. I cannot deny that she has experienced it — but it is not rational. It is, in a way, pathological and based on delusions."
He further claimed that the woman was twisting the story and not telling the truth.
"This period has been hard for me and the children, but most of all for her. When you are not true to yourself but have to maintain a narrative, you become exhausted. I therefore have compassion for her."
According to the man, he has a clear conscience and therefore does not experience being accused in the criminal case as a burden. The man remains remanded in custody whilst the trial is ongoing.
Source: Google News DK — Crime (da)