This is revealed in a recent ruling from the Vestfold District Court.
The man (23) is one of four charged with murder or complicity in the murder of 33-year-old Bård Lanes. Lanes was shot and killed in the open street in April 2021. The four will appear in court on Tuesday.
During the investigation of the man, who is a Brazilian citizen, undercover agents were brought in who spoke Portuguese and pretended to be criminals to get information out of the 23-year-old. This is called infiltration.
NRK has previously reported how the agents flew the accused 23-year-old to Tromsø and lowered him.
But what was said in Tromsø and during other meetings between the defendant and the agents cannot now be used as evidence, the district court has decided.
Conversations that resembled police interrogations
The ruling states that the conversations in Tromsø have “clear similarities with police interrogations”, and that the defendant is obviously struggling not to answer questions about the murder and his connection to it.
“The ‘boss’ who conducts the talks in Tromsø asks direct questions that relate to criminal liability, and is very persistent. He gives the defendant little choice. At this point, in the court’s opinion, a clear superior relationship has been established between the “Boss” and the defendant,” writes the judge.
Furthermore, it is written in the ruling that it is not clear whether the foreign agents have been told the scope of the infiltration.
The district court also highlights the defendant’s age, and that he appears vulnerable in conversations with the agents.
“The defendant was young. He was also under police control when the infiltration began. Although it was not apparent at this time, the dialogue transcript of the later conversation in Tromsø shows that he was also relatively vulnerable,” the ruling states.
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The Kilen murder
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Four defendants
- Bård Lanes was shot and killed on an open street in Tønsberg in April 2021.
- According to the indictment, several shots were fired at Lanes. One of the shots hit the 33-year-old in the back.
- Four men have been charged in the case. All have consistently denied criminal guilt.
– Informant for the police
- A few weeks before he was shot, according to VG, Lanes was contacted by a policeman who asked him to obtain information about a previously convicted man (31).
- The 31-year-old is one of the four accused in the case.
- According to TV 2 The police have investigated whether the role of informant could have been the motive for the murder.
Secret agents
- In connection with the murder investigation, one of the defendants was introduced to agents who secretly worked on behalf of the police.
- TV 2 has said that the 23-year-old was served alcohol in a meeting with the agents on a trip to Tromsø.
- The public prosecutor believes that parts of the infiltration cannot be used as evidence in court because the agents have gone too far. The 23-year-old’s defender has requested that the entire infiltration be struck out.
First met in a police car
According to the ruling, the first meeting between the defendant and one of the agents took place in the back seat of a police car.
The defendant was in the back seat and was to be taken to the police for questioning.
The agent, who has been given the cover name “Miguel” in the ruling, was then picked up, and gave the impression that he was suspected of driving under the influence – and that he was afraid that the police would find something in his car.
It is “Miguel” who maintains contact with the defendant after this meeting, and suggests that the defendant meet an agent called “The Boss”, to join their criminal network.
In total, the infiltration lasted about three months.
The court perceives it as “Miguel” appearing dominant and as a superior to the defendant.
Later, therefore, the defendant was flown to Tromsø, where he was drugged with alcohol. “Miguel” paid for the plane tickets, and the two traveled all the way there together.
“In Tromsø, the defendant met ‘The Boss’, who had the code name ‘Julião’. They had a long conversation, where other tire agents were also occasionally present,” the indictment states.
