HAUGESUND (Nettavisen): On Monday morning, Johny Vassbakk was sentenced to 17 years in prison for the murder of Birgitte Teng on the night of 6 May 1995 (see fact box below).
One minute after he got the result, he collapsed in court and was lying on the floor. He was then taken care of by paramedics and a doctor before being transported back to Åna prison in Rogaland. The 52-year-old has been in prison since he was arrested on 1 September 2021.
Vassbakk has always denied criminal guilt.
Also read: Johny Vassbakk used a fake Facebook profile and downloaded pictures of a young woman
Facts about the Birgitte Tengs case
Sources: NTB and Nettavisen
– Incorrect prosecution against Vassbakk
Birgitte Tengs’ mother, Karin Tengs, who for over 25 years has believed that Birgitte’s cousin is the perpetrator, believes Vassbakk should never have been convicted.
– What has happened during the main hearing is that the father, Torger, has become more open to the fact that it is the right perpetrator who has been prosecuted, while the mother has become more convinced that he who has now been convicted has been wrongly prosecuted, says star lawyer John Christian Elden to Nettavisen .
WATCH VIDEO: Here the referee discovers that Vassbakk has collapsed
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He is a support lawyer for the bereaved parents.
– Both are happy that they are not judges in the case, and wish the verdict had given a clearer answer to what happened and why on this May Day in 1995. Now they both have to be given time to digest and consider the verdict from those who actually are appointed as judges in the case.
Also read: Johny Vassbakk was about to kill his own psychologist – tightened the cord around her neck
In the original Tengs case in the 1990s, the cousin was first convicted of the murder in 1997. The following year he was acquitted of punishment in the Court of Appeal, but he was still ordered to pay compensation. In November last year, the cousin finally got rid of the compensation sentence and he is finally and forever considered innocent.
The father of the cousin, Jakob, has been presented with the mother’s statements, but he tells Nettavisen that he does not want to comment on the case.
BIG INTERVIEW BEFORE THE TRIAL: The cousin’s father gives one of his last interviews: – The whole Birgitte case is a tragedy
– Scandal of dimensions
Arvid Sjødin, who is the cousin’s lawyer, and Klomsæt, who is the cousin’s former defense counsel, strongly criticized the prosecution when the verdict against Vassbakk became known.
– It is a scandal of great proportions, Sjødin told Nettavisen.
Also read: Bonde found Birgitte Tengs killed: – It was absolutely awful. You have to hit full disaster
He summarizes the burden the case has placed on his cousin as enormous.
– It has been hell the whole way. We have a system in Norway that does not work, something must be done about it. You cannot sentence people to compensation after they have been acquitted of murder.
WATCH VIDEO: Here, Vassbakk receives the sentence of 17 years in prison
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During the new investigation and during the trial, the police and the prosecution made it crystal clear that the cousin is innocent. This also comes out in the judgment against Vassbakk. As recently as last May, the mother said in a police interview that they have taken the wrong man and that the evidence against Vassbakk is thin.
– Completely pointless
– The mother’s point of view is completely meaningless. I understand that it is a difficult situation, but at some point you have to take in what has been documented through several treatments in court, says veteran lawyer Sigurd Klomsæt to Nettavisen.
It was he who, together with lawyer Erik Nadheim, got his cousin acquitted of punishment in 1998.
– I still believe that we proved the cousin’s innocence in the Court of Appeal in 1998 and he has no connection to the case and now a new person has been convicted. It was a very thorough judgment which they spent the whole day reading out.
– I can’t understand why anyone thinks it is still the cousin who is guilty. I believe it is a continued violation of him, concludes Klomsæt.
Also read: The parents of Birgitte Tengs had enough – left the trial when the crime scene was shown
Nettavisen has also mentioned earlier, during the trial, that the parents have different views on the question of guilt.
Elden believes that it is a thorough judgment that deals with all the arguments of the prosecutor and the defenders. But on behalf of his parents, he is careful not to confirm anything for now.
– We don’t know yet whether the verdict will stand, an appeal has been announced, so we’ll see. We will not know if it is the real perpetrator until the verdict is final. This court has also given notice once before that it was certain that the right perpetrator was convicted, so we must take this with a grain of salt.
– The parents are having a hard time
The parents hope there will be an explanation, confession or description of what happened to their daughter.
– It is important for them to know so they can put this behind them. For now, there are still doubts, says Elden.
– There is a lack of tangible and concrete evidence which means that this case can cease to be a topic of speculation, especially locally, even if a verdict has been handed down.
– How are the parents right now?
– They are having a hard time and have chosen not to come to court during the sentencing. They were prepared for all possible outcomes, but did not want to be in court and face the press and the attention it entails. They wanted to be at home, go through the verdict and think through what consequences it has, says Elden.
He states that neither parent wishes to comment on the specific content of the judgment.
