Violence over seating: two men face 120 days in prison after Easter party in Finnmark
Two men from Inner Finnmark and Northern Sweden are charged with assault on a young man at a venue in Finnmark. The prosecutor is demanding 120 days unconditional imprisonment for both.
Court case in Finnmark: brawl over seating ended with five stitches to forehead
A seating spot at a venue in Inner Finnmark triggered a violent episode that has now brought two men to court. According to nrk.no, the trial began on Thursday at the Inner and Eastern Finnmark District Court in Tana, and proceedings stretched over two days.
The two defendants – a man in his twenties from Northern Sweden and a man in his thirties from Inner Finnmark – are charged with repeated blows to the head and face of another young man. The victim sustained a deep wound to his forehead that required five stitches. Neither of the defendants admits guilt.
Easter party and a question of seats
The episode took place at an Easter party a year ago. Several people had travelled to a venue in Inner Finnmark. The injured party told the court that he had been asked to keep an eye on some empty seats next to him – a promise he accepted.
– We went there, had a good time and met many new people, he said during the trial proceedings.
When the young man from Northern Sweden sat down on one of the seats, the injured party informed him that the seat was occupied.
– So I say: "Hey, you can't sit there, my friend will be back from the toilet soon," he said.
Things quickly went wrong. The injured party described how the man from Northern Sweden quickly became aggressive and shouted "Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you" at him while pressing his head closer and closer to him.
– I feel inside me that I'm getting nervous. I have my hand on him and push to create distance between us.
Then came the first blow to the face.
– It comes as a shock to me, and I freeze. I don't know how many blows are coming because I completely shut down when it happens.
Shortly afterwards he felt blows from another angle – from the other defendant.
– I don't manage to react to anything. My body goes into freeze. I try to protect my head. I don't feel like it stops either – there are just blows on top of blows on top of blows.
The injured party assessed in court that the entire sequence lasted between 8 and 20 seconds. The defendants agreed with this.
The defendants' version
The young man from Northern Sweden acknowledged that he sat down and was told he had to move. However, he claimed that the injured party was the aggressive one.
– It was him who tried to remove me physically from the spot, he explained.
According to his account, the two discussed it back and forth, and the injured party slapped him a "bitchslap".
– I say "fuck you" or something like that to the injured party, and then I get slapped. Gets very like "Huh, what happened now?"
He estimated that he then struck the injured party approximately 4–5–6 times, hitting him on the left side of the jaw and the hands.
The injured party flatly rejected this in court: – That's not right. I didn't hit.
The man in his thirties from Inner Finnmark entered the sequence somewhat later. He explained that he saw there was commotion and that he wanted to separate the two – but that the situation escalated and he ended up dealing out a couple of blows.
His defence lawyer, Trond Biti, argued for acquittal. The argument was that his client only intervened to protect his friend.
– It seemed to him that his friend was being attacked, and therefore he stepped in, said Biti.
Video recording as key evidence
In addition to witness statements from five people, surveillance video from the venue was presented as key evidence. The recording shows the violent episode itself.
– It was the first time I saw it. I feel pretty helpless when I watch the video, said the injured party.
After the episode he was bleeding. Witnesses helped him into a toilet and wiped blood off him. He subsequently received assistance getting to a medical clinic, where it was established that he had a deep wound that went all the way to the skull. Five stitches to the forehead were necessary; apart from that he had no physical injuries.
Prosecutor rejects self-defence – demands imprisonment
Prosecutor Heidi Mette Langseth flatly rejected the defendants' claim of self-defence. She argued that both men acted with intent, and demanded 120 days unconditional imprisonment for both.
– In our case there is no doubt that both have caused injury, and that they understood that striking with a clenched fist would cause injury, said Langseth.
One unresolved point in the case, however, is who precisely caused the deep wound.
– One piece we're missing is that we don't know exactly which or how many blows resulted in the cut, the prosecutor acknowledged.
Defence lawyer Biti seized on this point. He argued that it is clear that the younger defendant struck first, and that it was only after that the injured party began to bleed – and that his client therefore does not bear responsibility for the injury.
Claim for damages exceeding 26,000 kroner
The injured party has also claimed more than 26,000 Norwegian kroner in damages.
– I had among other things my sweater destroyed, which is discoloured by blood, he explained in court.
Defence lawyer Biti rejected the claim: – That's completely wrong.
The court is expected to deliver its verdict in the case following the conclusion of proceedings.
Source: Google News DK — Crime (da)