Information to VG: Baneheia investigators believe the case should have been reopened 10 years earlier
The Baneheia committee criticizes authorities and claims the case against Viggo Kristiansen should have been reopened in 2011, according to VG's sources.
The Baneheia committee has issued a report criticizing the police, judiciary, media, and the Review Commission for their handling of the case against Viggo Kristiansen. According to reports, the committee believes that Kristiansen's case should have been reopened a decade earlier, in 2011, instead of waiting until 2021 when he was ultimately exonerated from charges of murder and rape related to the tragic Baneheia case in Kristiansand. This report is set to be delivered to Norway's Justice Minister, Astri Aas-Hansen, highlighting significant oversights in the judicial process surrounding the case.
Viggo Kristiansen was convicted alongside Jan Helge Andersen in connection with the horrific murders of two young girls, Stine Sofie Sørstrønen and Lena Sløgedal Paulsen, in May 2000. After serving years in prison, Kristiansen's conviction was dismissed in 2022, raising broader concerns about the reliability of evidence and the judicial system's capacity to rectify past errors. The Baneheia committee's findings may prompt discussions on reforming procedures related to the reopening of cases and the evaluation of past convictions, especially in instances of potential wrongful convictions.
This investigation shines a light on systemic failures within law enforcement and the judicial process in Norway and raises questions about accountability among the entities involved. As the report is presented to Minister Aas-Hansen, it signals a critical moment for Norway's justice system, reminding stakeholders of the importance of ensuring fair legal processes and the necessity of revisiting cases where new evidence may emerge, ultimately aiming to prevent such injustices in the future.