– All investigative steps in the case have been completed, and a prosecution assessment of the case has now been carried out, says police inspector Terese Braut Våge in a press release from the Sør-West police district.
Athletics coach Gjert Ingebrigtsen is now charged with breaching section 282 of the Criminal Code, which applies to abuse in close relationships, against one of the victims in the case.
– The previously mentioned charge of bodily harm is now part of the indictment that concerns abuse in close relationships, says the police inspector in the press release.
The indictment describes cases of threats, coercion, violence, limited freedom of movement and other forms of violations between 2018 and 2022. According to the indictment, the victim was hit in the face and threatened on several occasions.
Six cases dismissed
The six other cases that the police have investigated have been dropped. The cases against five of the victims have been dismissed on the basis of the evidence, and one of the cases has been dismissed on grounds of limitation.
– The reason why they have been assigned to different codes, I cannot go into now, says the police inspector in the press release.
All the investigative steps had been completed by the police before Easter, but there were requests for further investigative steps.
– In the last part of the investigation, we have conducted several interviews with people we have not previously interviewed, in order to shed light on the cases in the best possible way, says the police inspector.
– Does not plead guilty
Gjert Ingebrigtsen’s defenders, lawyers John Christian Elden and Heidi Reisvang, state in a press release on Monday morning that their client was informed today that he has been charged with abuse in close relationships towards one of his minor children for a limited period of time.
– We notice that the case now has a completely different character to what it initially had, and that the case has been dropped for all of the other victims. As regards the dropped cases, we agree that there is no evidentiary cover for Ingebrigtsen to have done anything punishable, write the defenders.
– Furthermore, Ingebrigtsen disagrees with the presentation of the events on which the indictment is based – and he consequently does not plead guilty, it is further stated.
The defenders state that they do not want to pre-litigation the case in public.
– The case is naturally a burden for all concerned, and it is therefore requested that the family now rest in peace. We will return to the case in court, where it belongs
Coach for Narve, loses the Olympics
The police started an investigation in October 2023, after three of Ingebrigtsen’s sons – Henrik, Filip and Jakob – accused their father of abuse when they were children. This happened in a VG chronicle.
Ingebrigtsen was previously a coach for the sons, and is still coach for the runner Narve Gilje Nordås from Voll.
The Olympic summit confirms Monday opposite VG that now, with the recent indictment, it is out of the question for Gjert Ingebrigtsen to be accredited to enter the stadium as a coach during this summer’s Olympics in Paris.
– A person who has been prosecuted for abuse in close relationships will not be eligible to be accredited in the Norwegian squad for the Olympics. In any case, our focus will be to contribute to optimal preparations for the athletes who will compete in the Olympics and Paralympics, says top sports manager Tore Øvrebø to VG.
Even before the police investigation against the athletics coach, it was known that the Norwegian Athletics Association did not want Ingebrigtsen to be accredited to the Olympics, due to the strained relationship with his three running sons, Jakob, Henrik and Filip.
also read
Gjert Ingebrigtsen appeared in Glasgow – reveals frustration: – Not optimal
also read