Stavanger man charged with murder conspiracy in London – trial starts at Old Bailey
A 19-year-old from Stavanger is to appear in court at the Central Criminal Court in London on Tuesday 2 June, charged with conspiracy to commit murder in England. He was arrested at a hotel in Huddersfield with two firearms.
Stavanger man on trial in London for murder conspiracy
According to aftenbladet.no, the trial of a 19-year-old man from Stavanger begins on Tuesday 2 June at the Central Criminal Court in London – better known as "Old Bailey". The man is charged with conspiracy to commit murder on British soil.
The case is directly linked to a sentence handed down on Monday in Sør-Rogaland District Court. There, a 17-year-old, referred to by Aftenbladet as "Lukas", was sentenced to 14 years' preventive detention with a minimum sentence of nine years for murder and conspiracy to commit murder. One of the charges in that case was that "Lukas" had recruited the 19-year-old to carry out a murder in England. The intended victim is not yet known.
"Lukas" was arrested at Gardermoen in March last year while the planned murder in Britain was being prepared. Shortly afterwards, the 19-year-old was arrested at a hotel in Huddersfield. British police found two firearms and ammunition in his room.
Closely monitored via messaging services
In Sandnes District Court, evidence was presented showing that the 19-year-old was instructed and closely monitored through online messaging services up until his arrest. He has been held in remand detention in Britain since then. Attempts to extradite him to Norway have been unsuccessful.
In the sentence against "Lukas", the so-called "Swedish" criminal network Foxtrot plays a central role. In the part of the case concerning the 19-year-old, it emerges that the flight tickets booked for him had an Iraqi telephone number as a reference. Foxtrot is probably far less known to British police than to Swedish and Norwegian authorities, which raises questions about what weight the British prosecution will place on the phenomenon of "crime as a service", which was central to the case against "Lukas".
British press rules differ from Norwegian ones
Criminal trials in Britain differ in several respects from Norwegian legal practice, particularly regarding media access. After charges and an indictment were brought against the 19-year-old, the media have not been permitted to cover the case. Breaches of these rules can have serious consequences. Only after sentence is passed is there open coverage – and British media then often publish both the name and address of the convicted person, a practice Norwegian media are usually more restrained about, particularly towards young offenders.
A number of Norwegian media outlets, including NRK, TV 2, VG and Aftenposten, are expected to cover the case from Old Bailey. They will have to comply with court rules that are unfamiliar to Norwegian crime journalists.
It is expected that the 19-year-old will be charged with conspiracy to commit murder, but the court has not communicated how the case will be structured. A number of Norwegian witnesses have been summoned, but it is currently unclear whether they will testify via videolink or appear in person in London. It is also unclear how long the trial hearings will last.
Stricter sentencing guidelines in Britain
The sentencing range for what the 19-year-old is charged with is far stricter in Britain than what applies in Norway for young offenders. There is speculation that the British prosecution will use the case to demonstrate that international crime of this type will be met with firmness.
A close relative of the charged 19-year-old is employed at Aftenbladet. Because of this connection, the newspaper has since 2025 collaborated with Aftenposten on interviews with the 19-year-old and his family. Aftenbladet's remaining coverage of the trial proceeds according to normal journalistic principles.
The preventive detention sentence is extraordinary
Back in Norway, 14 years' preventive detention with a nine-year minimum sentence is one of the strictest sentences a young offender so young can receive. "Lukas" was 15 and 16 years old when the criminal acts took place. Preventive detention is in effect an indeterminate sentence – even after the minimum period, release will only be considered if he is no longer assessed as dangerous, and then only under strict conditions. The sentence has been appealed by the 17-year-old.
According to the court, a preventive detention sentence against a person of that age is only appropriate in wholly exceptional cases. Sør-Rogaland District Court considers this to be such a case.