Oslo District Court (Oslo tingrett) – Judgment.
The Penal Code section 147a first subsection paras.
a and b, cf. the Penal Code sections 148 first subsection first
penalty alternative and 233 first and second subsections, and 233
first and second subsections, cf. section 49, and the Penal Code
section 147a first subsection para. b, cf. sections 233 first and
second subsections, and 233 first and second subsections, cf. section
49.
A man b. 1979 was sentenced to preventive detention
for a term of twenty-one years and a minimum period of ten years for
two terror acts by which among other things 77 people were killed.
The defendant killed 8 people while 9 persons were
seriously injured when he detonated a car bomb in the Government
District in Oslo. The explosion also caused extensive material damage.
The same day the perpetrator killed 69 people, of which the majority
were participants at the Workers’ Youth League (AUF)-run summer camp
at Utøya Island. Most were killed by shooting or as a consequence
thereof. In addition 33 youths were seriously injured. Besides the
physical injuries a considerable number of people suffered mental
aftereffects.
The court found the defendant to be sane, i.e. not
psychotic, at the time of crime, and was thereby liable to penalty.
The defendant had acknowledged having committed the acts of which he
was accused, pleaded not guilty to the charges. (Summary by Lovdata.)
Avsagt: 24.08.2012 i sak TOSLO-2011-188627-24E
Saksgang: Oslo District Court (Oslo tingrett) TOSLO–2011–188627–24E
(11–188627MED–OTIR/05). The judgment has legal force.
Parter: The Public prosecuting authority (Public
Prosecutor Svein Holden, Public Prosecutor Inga Bejer Engh) vs. A
(Advocate Geir Lippestad, Advocate Vibeke Hein Bæra, Advocate Tor
Eskild Kvinge Jordet and Assistant Lawyer Odd Ivar Ausnes Grøn.
Dommere: Presiding judge: District Court Judge
Wenche Elizabeth Arntzen. Professional judge: District Court Judge
Arne Lyng. Lay judges: Ernst Henning Eielsen, Diana Patricia Fynbo,
Anne Elisabeth Wisløff.
1. Background of the case
On Friday, 22 July 2011 at 15:25, a bomb exploded
in the Government District in Oslo. The explosion resulted in eight
persons being killed and nine seriously injured. Nearly 500 people
were in the vicinity when the bomb exploded, and were thus also in
danger. Several of these sustained physical injuries and psychological
suffering. The explosion also caused extensive material destruction,
first and foremost of the premises of the Office of the Prime Minister
and the Ministries in the Government District, but also of nearby
buildings.
Later the same day, from about 17:21, a massacre
started on Utøya in Hole Municipality. At the time, 564 persons were
on the island, 530 of whom were youth attending the Norwegian Labour
Youth (AUF) summer camp. This afternoon, altogether 69 persons were
killed. Most were killed by shooting or as a consequence thereof.
Furthermore, 33 youngsters were injured, this too by shooting or as a
consequence thereof. In addition to physical injuries, a large number
of persons suffered psychological aftereffects.
A, born *.*.1979, was apprehended by the police on
Utøya at approximately 18:34, suspected of having committed the crimes
at the Government District and on Utøya. Oslo Public Prosecutor’s
Office has, as ordered by the Director General of Public Prosecution,
issued an indictment against A in this case. The indictment to be
examined is dated 13 April 2012, and after corrections during the main
hearing on 21 May and 21 June 2012 it has the following contents:
The Public Prosecutors of Oslo hereby indict A ,
born *.*.1979, Åsta Øst, 2450 RENA, before Oslo District Court,
pursuant to section 39 of the Penal Code, for sentence to be passed
for his transfer to compulsory mental health care, cf. chapter 5 of
the Mental Health Care Act, for having
in a psychotic state committed an otherwise punishable act, namely the
violation of:
I
Section 147a of the Penal Code, first subsection
paras. a) and b), cf. sections 148 first subsection first penalty
alternative and 233 first and second subsections for having committed a terrorist act in
violation of section 148 of the Penal Code, first subsection, first
penalty alternative (bringing about an explosion whereby loss of human
life or extensive damage to the property of others could easily be
caused) and of section 233 first and second subsections (premeditated
murder where particularly aggravating circumstances prevail) with the
intention of seriously disrupting a function of fundamental importance
to society, such as the executive authority, or creating serious fear
in a population.
Grounds:
On 22 July 2011 at approximately 15:17 in
Grubbegata in Oslo, following prior deliberations and planning, he
parked a VW Crafter van with registration number BR 99834 outside the
entrance of the H-block of the Government District, housing, inter
alia, the offices of the Prime Minister and Minister of Justice. At
the time, a total of at least 250 persons were in the H-block and
surrounding ministry offices and some 75 persons in the streets in the
immediate vicinity thereof. In the vehicle he had placed a selfmade
bomb weighing approximately 950 kg, consisting, inter alia, of
artificial fertilizer, diesel and aluminium. He ignited a fuse with a
burn time of some seven minutes and thereafter left the scene by foot
to a previously parked getaway car, a Fiat Doblò with registration
number VH 24605. The bomb detonated at 15:25:22 with a violent
firepower and shockwave in keeping with his intentions, bringing a
large number of persons who found themselves in the buildings of the
Government District or at street level into immediate mortal danger,
and causing massive material damage to the same buildings, as well as
to surrounding buildings.
By means of the explosion, he did kill the
following eight persons, who all sustained extensive blast injuries:
N001, born*.*.1979
He was at the entrance
of the H-block and close to the van and died immediately of massive
injuries caused by the shockwave and splinters/objects that hit him.
N002, born *.*.1977
She was at the entrance
of the H-block and close to the van and died immediately of massive
injuries caused by the shockwave and splinters/objects that hit her.
N003, born *.*.1981
She was outside the
entrance to the H-block and died quickly of very extensive injuries to
the head and body caused by the shockwave and splinters/objects that
hit her.
N004, born *.*.1959
She was in the
reception area on the ground floor of the H-block and died immediately
of extensive injuries to the neck and spinal cord caused by the
shockwave and splinters/objects that hit her.
N005, born *.*.1950
She was in the
reception area on the ground floor of the H-block and died immediately
of extensive injuries to the chest and abdomen caused by the shockwave
and splinters/objects that hit her.
N006, born*.*.1984
She was in the
reception area on the ground floor of the H-block and died immediately
of massive injuries to the head and body caused by the shockwave and
splinters/objects that hit her.
N007, born *.*.1978
He was in Grubbegata
next to the driveway leading to the main entrance of the H-block and
died immediately of massive injuries to the head, chest and abdomen
caused by the shockwave and splinters/objects that hit him.
N008, born *.*.1954
She was in the
proximity of the fountain at Einar Gerhardsen Square and died quickly
of extensive injuries to the throat and chest caused by the shockwave
and splinters/objects that hit her.
By means of the explosion, he did also attempt to
kill a large number of persons, including the others who found
themselves in the H-block and surrounding streets. He did not succeed
in his intention, but nine persons sustained serious physical
injuries, as follows:
N009, born *.*.1949
He was in the proximity
of the fountain at Einar Gerhardsen Square and sustained extensive
fracture injuries and wounds to the head/face and right lower leg,
chest wounds and haemorrhaging under the dura mater. Several splinters
had to be removed surgically from his chest and face and his right leg
had to be subsequently amputated below the knee. N009 was hospitalized
in Oslo University Hospital from 22 July until 19 September 2011,
where he was operated on approximately 13 times. Thereafter he was
moved to Sunnaas Hospital until 15 November of the same year and Fram
Health Rehabilitation Centre until 10 January 2012.
N010, born *.*.1964
She was in the
proximity of the fountain at Einar Gerhardsen Square and sustained
extensive wounds to the head/face, chest, arms and legs, fractures to
the skull and facial bones and injuries to both ears. The artery of
her left upper arm was ruptured, causing injuries to nerves, muscles
and ligaments of the same arm. Damaged tissue had to be removed from
the chest. With was hospitalized in Oslo University Hospital from 22
July until 26 August 2011, where she underwent several operations,
inter alia, to remove splinters.
N011, born *.*.1986
He was in Grubbegata at
Einar Gerhardsen Square and sustained serious wounds to the arms and
legs, as well as burns to one of his arms. Thoresen was hospitalized
in Oslo University Hospital from 22 July until the middle of August
2011 and underwent four operations, inter alia to remove splinters. He
underwent another operation on 21 March 2012, during which a 20 x 25
mm splint was removed from the left leg.
N012, born *.*.1944
He was on the 4th floor
of the H-block, in an office facing Grubbegata, and sustained
extensive wounds and fracture injuries to the head/face, including a
fractured jaw and extensive dental injuries, in addition to wounds on
the arms and left flank. There was also pulmonary haemorrhaging and
minor bleeding in the brain. Multiple eye injuries have resulted in
substantially impaired vision in both eyes. N012 was hospitalized in
Oslo University Hospital from 22 July until 24 August 2011, where he
was operated on several times. Thereafter he was a patient at the Cato
Rehabilitation Centre until 21 September of the same year.
N013, born *.*.1987
She was in the
reception on the ground floor of the H-block and sustained serious
head injuries, involving a cranial fracture, crush injuries to
cerebral tissue and bleeding under the thin meninges. Furthermore, she
sustained, inter alia, a fracture of the facial skeleton, pressure
injuries to both lungs, injury to the liver and a number of wounds to
the head/face and on both legs. N013 was hospitalized in Oslo
University Hospital from 22 July until 22 August 2011, where she
underwent lifesaving treatment and was operated on several times.
Thereafter she was a patient at Sunnaas Hospital until 17 November of
the same year and was subsequently readmitted to the same hospital
from 3 January until 22 February 2012 for cognitive rehabilitation.
N014, born *.*.1950
She was on the 7th
floor of the H-block and sustained extensive wounds to the head and
face. Her injuries were treated at the Oslo Emergency Clinic and
several of them were closed with a total of some 60 sutures. N014 also
sustained an injury to the left eye, resulting in impaired binocular
vision.
N015, born *.*.1961
She was on the 10th
floor of the H-block and was hit by an approximately 30 cm long,
fingerthick wooden splint that penetrated the head next to the left
ear, passing backwards between the cranium and the skin. N015 was
treated at the Oslo Emergency Clinic, where the wooden splint was
removed surgically and the wound closed with 27 sutures. She also
sustained concussion and damage to a muscle in the jaw.
N016, born *.*.1980
He was on the first
floor of the government building R4 in an office facing Grubbegata and
sustained, inter alia, serious head injuries involving bleeding
between the brain and outer meninges, serious injuries to the abdomen
involving inner bleeding, as well as a fracture of the neck. N016 was
hospitalized in Oslo University Hospital from 22 July until 10 August,
where he underwent lifesaving treatment and was operated on several
times. Thereafter he was a patient at Sunnaas Hospital until 15
September 2011.
N017, born *.*.1956
He was at Johan
Nygaardsvold Square between the H-block and Akersgata and sustained
extensive fracture injuries and wounds to, inter alia, the head/face
and to both legs, as well as fractures of the shoulder blade, collar
bone and several ribs. Both lungs were punctured. His right ankle was
crushed and his left leg had to be subsequently amputated above the
knee. N017 was hospitalized in Oslo University Hospital from 22 July
until 25 August 2011, where he underwent 10 operations before being
transferred to Sunnaas Hospital for further treatment.
Moreover, a further 200 persons at least were
physically injured as a result of the explosion, displaying varying
injury patterns, such as cuts, fractures and hearing impairments, of
which many were treated in hospital/emergency clinic or given other
medical treatment. In addition, many of the abovestated injured
persons and others who found themselves in the vicinity of the
explosion, as well as surviving relatives/next of kin, have suffered
mental aftereffects of varying gravity caused by the events described
above.
The bomb explosion resulted in the inability of a
number of government offices, including the Office of the Prime
Minister, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, the Ministry of
Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, the Ministry
of Health and Care Services, the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of
Finance, the Ministry of Education and Research, to be used, and the
ministries affected were unable to attend to and carry out their
functions as executive powers before a certain period of time had
elapsed. The explosion and the effects thereof have also given rise to
serious fear in parts of the Norwegian population.
II
Section 147a of the Penal Code, first subsection
(b), cf. section 233 first and second subsections for having committed
a terrorist act in violation of section 233 of the Penal Code, first
and second subsections (premeditated murder where particularly
aggravating circumstances prevail) with the intention of causing
serious fear in a population.
Grounds:
On Friday 22 July 2011, subsequent to having acted
as described in detail under count I, he did drive in the getaway car
to the Municipality of Hole where he knew that the organization AUF
(Norwegian Labour Youth) were holding their traditional summer camp on
the island of Utøya. There were 564 persons on the island. By posing
as a police officer and dressed in a uniformlike outfit, he was
transported – carrying, inter alia, a Ruger brand Mini 14
semiautomatic rifle cal. 223 and a Glock brand semiautomatic 9 mm
pistol – to Utøya onboard the ferry M/S Thorbjørn, where he
disembarked at approximately 17:15. Up until the time of his arrest by
the police on the same day at approximately 18:35, he did shoot,
following prior deliberation and planning, with his rifle and/or
pistol, at a number of persons who were on the island, in the water or
onboard boats, including civilians who came to their rescue, exposing
them to immediate mortal danger. Panic and mortal fear in children,
youth and adults arose during the shooting, further intensified by the
fact that there were limited possibilities of escape or hiding. While
moving around the whole island, he did shoot at persons running away
and/or hiding and/or whom he lured to appear from hiding with
information that the police had arrived.
He did kill 69 persons, of whom 67 were hit by
fatal gunshots, fired by the described weapons. Two persons died as a
result of fall injuries and/or drowning while attempting to get away,
without having been hit by gunshots. The persons killed are as
follows:
N018, born *.*.1960
He was between the
Information Building and the pier and was shot five times with the
pistol; two shots hit the occiput/neck, causing substantial brain
injury. One shot hit him in the back, penetrating the right lung into
the frontal part of the upper thorax. N018 died of the gunshot
injuries to the head and chest.
N019, born *.*.1966
She was standing
between the Information Building and the pier and was shot three times
with the pistol and/or rifle; two shots travelled straight through the
skull/brain. One shot hit her in the back, penetrating the thoracic
wall, upper lobe of the left lung and further upward into the left
part of the throat and through the skull base. N019 died of the
gunshot injuries to the head.
N020, born *.*.1967
He was standing between
the Information building and the Cafe Building and was shot five times
with the pistol and/or rifle. One shot entered close to the left ear,
leaving on the right side of the chin to subsequently reenter through
the soft tissue of the upper chest. A second shot entered the left
side of the abdomen, passing, inter alia, through the stomach and
right lung and leaving through the thoracic wall. A third shot entered
the right side of the chest, passing through the right lung and
leaving through the right side of the back. A fourth entered the right
cheek. N020 died of the gunshot injuries.
N021, born *.*.1967
She was outside the
main entrance of the Cafe Building and was shot three times with the
rifle, twice in the head and once in the back. The shots to the head
entered the right cheek, one passing through the brain stem and
uppermost cervical vertebra, the other passing through the head and
leaving on the left side. The shot to the back caused, inter alia,
injury to both lungs and crush injury to the liver. N021 died of the
gunshot injuries to the head and back/chest.
N022, born *.*.1981
He was outside the main
entrance of the Cafe Building and was shot three times – two pistol
shots in the occiput and one rifle or pistol shot in the back. The
shots to the occiput passed through the head, leaving the left temple
and left eye, respectively. The shot to the back caused the fracturing
of the 5th and 6th ribs, extensive fracture injuries to the 4th
thoracic vertebra and crush injuries to the lungs. N022 died of the
gunshot injuries to the head.
N023, born *.*.1986
He was outside the main
entrance of the Cafe Building and was shot three times – two pistol
shots in the head and one rifle shot in the back. One of the shots to
the head entered in front of the left ear and into the temple,
damaging the frontal part of the brain, whereas the other shot entered
on the left side of the chin, via the lower jaw and skull base on the
right side, through the brain, leaving in the right temple region. The
shot to the back passed through the 12th rib, damaging the liver,
right lung and heart. N023 died of the gunshot injuries to the head.
N024, born *.*.1994
She was in front of the
Cafe Building and was shot twice in the head with the pistol and/or
rifle. One of the shots entered through the left jaw angle, passing
through the facial skeleton and leaving through the right side of the
forehead. The other shot entered through the left side of the occiput,
leaving through the top of the skull. N024 died of the gunshot
injuries to the head.
N025, born *.*.1995
He was in the vicinity
of the outdoor stage next to the Cafe Building and was shot at least
twice with the pistol and/or rifle, one shot to the head and one shot
to the chest. The shot to the head entered through the right temple,
passed through the head, leaving through the left side of the neck,
causing laceration of cerebral tissue and crush injuries to the skull.
The shot to the chest left through the back, causing general injury to
the heart, vessels and lungs. N025 died of the gunshot injuries to the
head and chest.
N026, born *.*.1996
She was in the tent
camp next to the Cafe Building or inside the building itself and was
shot twice with the pistol and/or rifle, through the left shoulder and
back of the right knee respectively. The gunshot injury in the back
caused extensive crush injuries to the lungs. N026 died of the latter
injuries and external blood loss from the gunshot injuries to the
shoulder and leg.
N027, born *.*.1988
He was in the tent camp
southwest of the Cafe Building and was shot twice with the pistol
and/or rifle. One shot entered the back, passing onward into the
occiput, through the right occipital lobe of the brain and down into
the right frontal lobe. The other shot entered the right side of the
occiput, passing through the occipital lobe of the brain and leaving
through the right temple. The gunshot wounds in the head led to
immediate loss of consciousness and N027 died the following day at
Oslo University Hospital of the head injuries.
N028, born *.*.1995
She was in the doorway
between the Little Hall and the Big Hall of the Cafe Building and was
shot three times with the pistol and/or rifle, of which one shot to
the head entered the left side of the occiput, passing through the
brain into the skull base, causing substantial fracture injuries to
the cranium and laceration of cerebral tissue. N028 died of the
gunshots injuries to the head.
N029, born *.*.1993
She was in the Little
Hall of the Cafe Building and was shot six times with the pistol
and/or rifle, of which one shot to the head entered through the right
temple and left through the vertex, crushing the right temporal lobe
and damaging the left parietal/occipital lobe. N029 died of the
gunshot injuries to the head.
N030, born *.*.1993
She was in the Little
Hall of the Cafe Building and was shot at least three times with the
pistol, once in the head and once in the chest. The shot to the head
entered next to the right ear, damaging the brain. The shot to the
chest entered through the right flank, passing through the right lung,
diaphragm and liver and leaving through the left side of the chest.
N030 died of the gunshot injuries to the head and chest/abdomen.
N031, born *.*.1994
She was in the Little
Hall of the Cafe Building and was shot at least three times with the
pistol, twice in the head and once in the back. Both shots to the head
entered on the right side, causing substantial brain damage. The shot
entering through the back damaged both lungs and ruptured the aorta.
N031 died of the gunshot injuries to the head and chest/abdomen.
N032, born *.*.1993
She was in the Little
Hall of the Cafe Building and was shot three times with the pistol
and/or rifle, of which one shot to the head and one to the back. The
shot to the head entered next to the right ear, passing through the
brain and leaving through the left temple and causing fracture
injuries to the cranium, tearing over the brain stem and crushing the
cerebellum. The shot to the back passed through the thorax and
superior lobes of both lungs, leaving through the upper part of the
right breast. N032 died of the gunshot injuries to the head.
N033, born *.*.1994
He was in the Little
Hall of the Cafe Building and was shot five times with the pistol
and/or rifle, of which one shot to the head and one to the chest. The
shot to the head entered through the left cheek, passing through the
middle cranial cavity and leaving through the right side of the
vertex. The shot to the chest entered through the right side of the
torso, passing through the right lung and leaving through the left
side of the back and causing substantial internal blood loss. N033
died of the gunshot injuries to the head and chest.
N034, born *.*.1993
He was in the Little
Hall of the Cafe Building and was shot eight times with the pistol
and/or rifle, of which two shots to the head/face. One of the shots to
the head entered through the left side of the forehead, passing
through the frontal part of the brain and leaving through the right
side of the vertex. The other shot entered through the left corner of
the mouth, passing through the mouth and lodging in the upper part of
the cervical vertebral column. N034 died of the gunshot injuries to
the head and cervical vertebral column.
N035, born *.*.1996
He was in the Big Hall
of the Cafe Building and was shot three times with the pistol and/or
rifle, of which two shots to the face/head. One of the shots to the
head entered through the left temple, penetrating the brain and
leaving through the right temple. The other shot entered through the
point of the chin, penetrating the facial skeleton and brain. N035
died of the gunshot injuries to the head.
N036, born *.*.1992
She was in the Big Hall
of the Cafe Building and was shot at least three times with the
pistol, of which one shot to the face/head and one to the throat. The
shot to the face/head entered through the mouth, penetrating the
posterior pharynx into the cervical vertebral column. The shot to the
throat entered through the right cerebral hemisphere, lodging on the
inside of the skull. N036 died of the gunshot injuries to the head and
throat.
N037, born *.*.1995
She was in the Big Hall
of the Cafe Building and was shot three times with the pistol and/or
rifle, of which two shots to the head. The shots to the head
penetrated the skull and cerebellum. N037 died of the gunshot injuries
to the head.
N038, born *.*.1984
He was in the Big Hall
of the Cafe Building and was shot three times in the head with the
pistol and/or rifle. One shot entered the right temple, passing
through the skull bone and brain, another entered at the right nose
wing, passing through the facial skeleton and down into the upper lobe
of the left lung, while a third entered the left cheek, leaving
through the neck. N038 died of the gunshot injuries.
N039, born *.*.1993
She was in the Big Hall
of the Cafe Building and was shot at least twice with the pistol
and/or rifle, of which two shots to the head/face. One of the shots
entered the right side of the forehead, penetrating the brain. The
other entered the right cheek, lodging in the 5th vertebra of the
cervical vertebral column. N039 died of the gunshot injuries to the
head/face.
N040, born *.*.1994
He was in the corridor
further in from the Little Hall of the Cafe Building and was shot six
times with the pistol and/or rifle, of which one shot to the head
entering through the left nose wing. The projectile fragmented and
parts of it left through the right ear, causing haemorrhaging from the
underside of the brain. N040 died of the gunshot injuries to the head.
N041, born *.*.1994
She was on Lovers’ Path
(Kjærlighetsstien) and was shot twice with the pistol and/or rifle, of
which one shot to the throat, which continued into the head through
the skull base and brain. N041 died of the gunshot injuries to the
head.
N042, born *.*.1990
He was on Lovers’ Path
and was shot once in the head with the pistol or rifle. The shot
entered the right side of the vertex into the left side of the
forehead through the medulla oblongata of the brain. N042 died of the
gunshot injuries to the head.
N043, born *.*.1993
He was on Lovers’ Path
and was shot five times with the pistol and/or rifle, of which two
shots to the face/head, one to the throat, one to the back and one to
the left thigh. The shots to the face/head entered the left cheek,
crushing the facial skeleton and leaving the right cheek/right side of
the throat. The shot to the throat damaged the left external jugular
vein, the shot to the back penetrated the left lung, damaging the
heart and passing through to the abdomen, while the shot to the left
thigh penetrated the musculature, leaving through the right gluteus.
N043 died of the gunshot injuries.
N044, born *.*.1994
She was on Lovers’ Path
and was shot three times with the pistol and/or rifle, of which one
shot to the head. The shot to the head entered through the vertex,
penetrating, inter alia, the skull, the left parietal lobe and right
frontal lobe. N044 died of the gunshot injuries to the head.
N045, born *.*.1993
She was on Lovers’ Path
and was shot at least twice with the pistol and/or rifle, of which one
shot to the face/head. The shot entered the right side of the chin,
leaving through the neck and causing the shattering of the two
uppermost cervical vertebrae and crush bleeding of the medulla
oblongata. N045 died of the gunshot injuries to the head/throat/neck.
N046, born *.*.1994
She was on Lovers’ Path
and was shot three times with the pistol and/or rifle, of which one
shot to the occiput, damaging the posterior part of the cerebrum and
cerebellum and causing fracture lines on both sides of the temporal
bone. N046 died of the gunshot injuries to the head.
N047, born *.*.1993
He was on Lovers’ Path
and was shot twice with the pistol, of which one shot to the occiput
leading to crush injuries of the medulla oblongata and the right
cerebellar hemisphere. N047 died of the gunshot injuries to the head.
N048, born *.*.1992
She was on Lovers’ Path
and was shot twice in the head with the pistol and/or rifle. One of
the shots entered through the right side of the occiput, penetrating
the brain. The other shot entered through the vertex, passing, inter
alia, through the brain the skull base, throat and down into the left
thoracic cavity. N049 died of the gunshot injuries to the head.
N049, born *.*.1992
He was on Lovers’ Path
and was shot three times with the pistol and/or rifle, of which one
shot to the head and two to the neck. The shot to the head entered the
left side, through the left cerebral hemisphere, leaving through the
neck. One of the shots to the neck passed through the upper edge of
the right cerebral hemisphere and into the frontal cranial cavity.
N049 died of the gunshot injuries to the head.
N050, born *.*.1993
She was on Lovers’ Path
and was shot twice with the pistol and/or rifle through the head. One
of the shots entered through the left cheek, leaving through the right
side. The other shot entered the left part of the vertex, passing,
inter alia, through the brain and skull base. N050 died of the gunshot
injuries to the head.
N051, born *.*.1994
He was at the water’s
edge between the escarpment below Lovers’ Path and Naked Point (Nakenodden)
and was shot four times with the pistol and/or rifle, of which two
shots to the right flank below the armpit. One of the shots entered
the thorax, penetrating the oesophagus and trachea and leaving above
the left collar bone. The other shot penetrated both lungs and aorta,
leaving through the left flank. N051 died of the gunshot injuries to
the chest as a result of haemorrhaging.
N052, born *.*.1992
He was in the area
close to the escarpment below Lovers’ Path and was shot twice with the
pistol and/or rifle, of which one shot went through the back
penetrating the trachea and oesophagus and leaving through the
sternum, rupturing the right carotid artery. N052 died of the gunshot
injuries to the chest.
N053, born *.*.1995
She was on the
uppermost part of the escarpment below Lovers’ Path and was shot four
times with the pistol and/or rifle, in the neck, back and flanks
respectively. The shot to the neck perforated the vertebral column,
damaging the medulla spinalis as well as the oesophagus, trachea and
right carotid artery. The shot to the back penetrated the thoracic
wall, left lower pulmonary lobe, diaphragm and abdominal cavity. Both
shots to the right and left flanks penetrated the vertebral column,
damaging the medulla spinalis and tearing over the renal arteries.
N053 died of the gunshot injuries.
N054, born *.*.1997
She was in the area by
the escarpment below Lovers’ Path and was shot twice with the pistol
and/or rifle. One of the shots penetrated, inter alia, the left lung,
the main stem of the pulmonary artery and the aorta. The other shot
crushed the 11th chest vertebra and liver, leaving through the right
flank. N054 died of the gunshot injuries to the chest causing internal
and external blood loss.
N055, born *.*.1995
She was in the area by
escarpment below Lovers’ Path and was shot at least once with the
pistol or rifle. The shot entered through the right groin, rupturing
the pelvic artery on the right side and leaving through the right
flank. N055 died of blood loss from the gunshot injuries to the
abdomen.
N056, born *.*.1994
She was in the forest
east of the Schoolhouse and was shot twice with the pistol and/or
rifle, in the head and left iliac crest. The shot to the head entered
through the left eye, shattering the skull and left cerebral
hemisphere. N056 died of the gunshot injuries to the head.
N057, born *.*.1996
He was in the forest
east of the Schoolhouse and was shot three times with the pistol,
twice in the head and once in the throat. The shots to the head
entered through the left side of the forehead, causing substantial
brain damage. The shot to the throat entered through the left side,
penetrating the left lung and leaving through the back. N057 died of
the gunshot injuries to the head and chest.
N058, born *.*.1992
He was at the water’s
edge at Stoltenberg Rock (Stoltenberget) and was shot once in the
occiput with the pistol or rifle. The shot penetrated the skull and
brain, causing, inter alia, a crushing of the brain. N058 died of the
gunshot injuries to the head.
N059, born *.*.1993
He was at Stoltenberg
Rock and was shot three times with the pistol and/or rifle, twice in
the head and once in the back. The shots to the head entered below the
left eye and left temple, causing substantial damage to the skull and
brain. The shot in the back damaged the left lung and heart, causing
massive haemorrhaging in the thoracic cavity. N059 died of the gunshot
injuries to the head and chest.
N060, born *.*.1993
She was at Stoltenberg
Rock and was shot three times in the head with the pistol and/or
rifle. One shot to the right side of the occiput penetrated the brain,
lodging in the upper part of the spinal canal. Another entered from
behind into the left temple, through the brain, leaving through the
right eye. A third shot entered the right side of the occiput,
penetrating the brain. N060 died of the gunshot injuries to the head.
N061, born *.*.1993
He was in Bolshevik
Cove (Bolsjevika) and was shot once in the head with the pistol or
rifle. The shot entered through the posterior part of the vertex into
the lower part of the occiput, damaging the posterior parts of the
brain, including the pons Varolii. N061 died of the gunshot injuries
to the head.
N062, born *.*.1992
She was in Bolsjevik
Cove and was shot three times with the pistol and/or rifle, of which
one shot to the head and one shot to the back. The shot to the head
entered through the right side of the chin, shattering the uppermost
cervical vertebrae and skull base and thereafter penetrating the
brain. The shot to the back damaged the spleen, left kidney, pancreas,
stomach, liver and left lung. N062 died of the gunshot injuries to the
throat/head and abdomen/chest.
N063, born *.*.1994
She was in Bolsjevik
Cove and was shot three times with the pistol and/or rifle, of which
one shot to the head. The shot entered through the left temple,
passing straight through the brain and exiting behind the right ear,
shattering the posterior parts of the brain and skull. N063 died of
the gunshot injuries to the head.
N064, born *.*.1992
He was in Bolsjevik
Cove and was shot four times with the pistol and/or rifle, of which
two shots to the back. The shots to the back damaged the spine, ribs,
right lung, aorta and oesophagus. N064 died of the gunshot injuries to
the chest.
N065, born *.*.1993
She was in Bolsjevik
Cove and was shot three times with the pistol and/or rifle, twice in
the head and once in the back. One of the shots to the head entered
below the chin, travelling through the facial skeleton, skull base and
brain. The other entered through the left eye, travelling through the
skull base and brain. The shot to the back damaged internal organs in
the upper left part of the abdominal cavity, left diaphragm cupola,
apex of the heart and left lung. N065 died of the gunshot injuries to
the head and chest.
N066, born *.*.1992
She was in the area of
the Pumphouse and was shot once in the head with the pistol or rifle.
The shot entered the lower part of the left cheek, exiting through the
left side of the head, damaging large portions of the brain and skull
roof. N066 died of the gunshot injuries to the head.
N067, born *.*.1995
She was in the area of
the Pumphouse and was shot once in the abdomen with the pistol or
rifle. The shot entered the right upper part of the abdomen, damaging
the liver, duodenum and inferior vena cava. N067 died of blood loss,
caused by the gunshot injuries to the abdomen.
N068, born *.*.1993
He was in the area of
the Pumphouse and was shot three times with the pistol and/or rifle,
of which one shot to the head and one to the back. The shot to the
head entered through the left eye into the brain, causing fracture
injuries to the cranium and substantial crush injuries to the
underside of the left frontal lobe. The shot to the back entered the
rear of the right thoracic cavity into the upper lobe of the right
lung. N068 died of the gunshot injuries to the head and back/chest.
N069, born *.*.1994
He was in the area of
the Pumphouse and was shot at least three times with the pistol and/or
rifle. The shots hit him in the left shoulder, lower back and left
flank. The shot to the left shoulder penetrated the shoulder blade and
upper part of the thorax, damaging, inter alia, the left carotid
artery and lung apex. The shot to the lower back caused the fracturing
of the 11th and 12th ribs, as well as damage to the spinal column,
leaving substantial amounts of metal fragments in the abdomen. The
shot to the left flank damaged, inter alia, the left kidney, spleen
and left liver lobe. N069 died of the gunshot injuries to the chest
and abdomen.
N070, born *.*.1990
She was by the
Pumphouse and was shot three times with the pistol and/or rifle, of
which one shot to the head. The shot to the head entered the right
side of the occiput, exiting through the left temple and causing
substantial brain damage. N070 died of the gunshot injuries to the
head.
N071, born *.*.1995
He was by the Pumphouse
and was shot twice with the pistol and/or rifle, in the occiput and
back respectively. The shot to the occiput caused damage to the skull
bone and right cerebral hemisphere, while the shot to the back
shattered the cervical vertebral column. N071 died of the gunshot
injuries to the head and throat.
N072, born *.*.1991
He was by the Pumphouse
and was shot once in the head with the pistol or rifle. The shot
caused damage to large portions of the left side of the skull and
brain. N072 died of the gunshot injuries to the head.
N073, born *.*.1992
He was by the Pumphouse
and was shot once in the head with the pistol or rifle. The shot
entered through the corner of the left eye, damaging the upper part of
the cranium and causing massive brain damage. N073 died of the gunshot
injuries to the head.
N074, born *.*.1991
She was by the
Pumphouse and was shot three times with the pistol and/or rifle, of
which one shot to the head and one to the chest. The shot to the head
entered the right side of the occiput and left through the left
temple, causing substantial damage to the brain. The shot to the chest
grazed first the right side of the head, and the projectile fragmented
so that a fragment entered the chest, into the left thoracic cavity,
damaging the left lung. N074 died of the gunshot injuries to the head
and chest.
N075, born *.*.1995
He was by the Pumphouse
and was shot three times with the pistol and/or rifle, of which two
shots two the head. The shots to the head entered on the left side and
right temple, respectively, causing extensive fracture injuries to the
skull and fragmentation of the brain. N075 died of the gunshot
injuries to the head.
N076, born *.*.1989
He was by the Pumphouse
and was shot four times with the pistol and/or rifle, of which one
shot with the rifle to the back and one shot with the pistol to the
neck. The shot to the back damaged the left lung and caused
haemorrhaging in the left thoracic cavity. The shot to the neck
ruptured the spinal column at the level of the 3rd cervical vertebra.
N076 died of the gunshot injuries to the neck and chest.
N077, born *.*.1993
She was by the
Pumphouse and was shot three times with the pistol and/or rifle, of
which one shot to the throat and one to the back. The shot to the
throat penetrated the left lower jaw, entering the cranial cavity and
causing fracturing of the skull base and damage to the left frontal
lobe of the brain. The shot to the back shattered the 4th to the 7th
ribs, tearing up the right lung and thoracic cavity. N077 died of the
gunshot injuries to the head and chest.
N078, born *.*.1983
He was in the area of
the Pumphouse and was shot twice in the head with the pistol and/or
rifle. One of the shots entered through the left cheek, crushing the
brain stem and cerebellum and damaging the cervical vertebral column.
The other entered behind the right ear and exited through the right
cheek. N078 died of the gunshot injuries to the head.
N079, born *.*.1992
He was in the area of
the Pumphouse, at the water’s edge or in the water, and was shot once
in the head with the pistol or rifle. The shot entered through the
left temple and exited through the left side of the occiput, causing
extensive damage to the skull and underlying parts of the brain. N079
died of drowning, but the gunshot injuries to the head led to
immediate loss of consciousness and contributed to his death.
N080, born *.*.1988
She was at the water’s
edge at South Point (Sydspissen) and was shot twice in the back with
the pistol and/or rifle. One of the shots entered through the left
side of the back, penetrating the vertebral column into the right side
of the throat. The other shot entered through the right side of the
back, penetrating the thoracic wall and right lung. N080 died of the
gunshot injuries to the back.
N081, born *.*.1996
He was at the water’s
edge at South Point and was shot at least three times with the pistol
and/or rifle, of which one shot to the head and one through the
throat. The shot to the head entered through the right side,
shattering the skull and brain. N081 died of the gunshot injuries to
the head and throat.
N082, born *.*.1995
She was at the water’s
edge at South Point and was shot once in the head with the pistol or
rifle. The shot entered through the right ear, penetrated the frontal
part of the brain and exited through the left temple, causing damage
to the cranium and crushing of the frontal part of the brain. N082
died of the gunshot injuries to the head.
N083, born *.*.1991
She was at the water’s
edge at South Point and was shot at least once with the pistol or
rifle. One shot entered through the shoulder, passing via the throat
into the skull, causing damage to blood vessels and throat/pharynx and
haemorrhaging of the underside of the brain. N083 died of the gunshot
injuries to the head and throat.
N084, born *.*.1994
She was at the water’s
edge at South Point and was shot three times with the pistol, of which
one shot to the head and one to the chest. The shot to the head
penetrated the neck, travelled through the cerebellum and brain stem,
causing fracturing of the skull and substantial crush injuries to the
brain. The shot to the chest passed through the right lung, the spinal
column and penetrated the rear thoracic wall, causing substantial
haemorrhaging in the thoracic cavity. N084 died of the gunshot
injuries to the head and chest.
N085, born *.*.1994
He fled from the island
by starting to swim, but died of drowning and was found outside South
Point at a depth of 6 metres.
N086, born *.*.1994
He fled and fell off a
cliff near the island’s west point and into the water, sustaining a
fracture of the skull and pelvis, tearing of the right lung and spleen
and massive haemorrhaging in the right thoracic cavity. N086 died of
fall injuries and/or drowning.
In addition to the abovestated murders, he did
attempt to kill a number of other persons, albeit without succeeding
in his intentions. In the course of the attempted murders, he did
shoot and injure 33 persons as follows:
N087, born *.*.1991
She was in the tent
camp and was shot with the pistol or rifle while escaping. N087 was
hit in the right forearm and several projectile fragments were removed
at an outpatients clinic.
N088, born *.*.1991
He was in the tent camp
and was shot with the pistol or rifle while escaping. He was hit once
in the back near the right shoulder blade. The shot led to fracture
injuries of the shoulder blade and 3rd and 4th ribs, numerous
projectile fragments in the body and damage to the right lung. N088
was hospitalized in Oslo University Hospital from 22 July until 1
August 2011.
N089, born *.*.1992
She was in the tent
camp and was shot with the pistol or rifle while escaping. N089 was
hit by a projectile fragment in the right thigh, but no serious injury
was caused.
N090, born *.*.1994
She was in the tent
camp and was shot with the pistol or rifle while escaping. She was hit
by several projectile fragments in the left lower leg. N090 was
admitted to Asker and Bærum Hospital for approximately one day from
the evening of 22 July, where she underwent surgery, involving wound
toilet and removal of several fragments.
N091, born *.*.1996
She was in the tent
camp and was shot with the pistol or rifle while escaping. She was hit
in the right shoulder and upper arm. She was also shot in the right
side of the stomach, either simultaneously or somewhat later. The shot
to the shoulder caused fracturing of the shoulder blade and damage to
the right lung. The shot to the stomach entered the subcutis and fatty
tissue. N091 underwent hospital treatment for approximately 12 days
from 22 July in, inter alia, Oslo University Hospital, where she
underwent surgery involving extensive wound toilet.
N092, born *.*.1995
She was in the tent
camp and was shot with the pistol or rifle while escaping and hit in
the right forearm. The shot went through the arm. N092 was admitted to
Oslo University Hospital on 22 July, where she underwent surgery
involving wound cleansing and lavage.
N093, born *.*.1994
She was in the tent
camp and was shot with the pistol or rifle while escaping. She was hit
in the left lower leg, but no serious injury was caused.
N094, born *.*.1989
She was in the Little
Hall of the Cafe Building and was shot at least four times with the
pistol and/or rifle, including in the face, both forearms and left
breast. The shot to the face caused extensive injury to the left half
of the face, including a fracture of the lower jaw. The shots to the
forearms caused soft tissue lesions, a fracturing of knucklebones in
the right midhand and impaired mobility of several fingers. The shot
to the left breast caused muscular and fatty tissue injuries. She was
admitted, via Asker and Bærum Hospital, to Oslo University Hospital,
where she underwent surgical treatment of the lower jaw fracture and
wounds. N094 was discharged on 19 August 2011.
N095, born *.*.1994
She was in the Little
Hall of the Cafe Building and was shot twice with the pistol and/or
rifle in the left knee and left shoulder. The shot to the knee entered
on the inside, passed through the fat/musculature of the thigh and
lodged under the skin on the outside of the thigh. The shot to the
shoulder did not cause serious injuries. She was admitted to Asker and
Bærum Hospital on 22 July, where she underwent surgical treatment for
her leg injury and for removal of the projectile. On the following
day, N095 was transferred to Telemark Hospital for further treatment
and she was discharged on 30 July 2011.
N096, born *.*.1993
He was in the Little
Hall of the Cafe Building and was shot at least once with the pistol
or rifle, of which once in the left foot. The shot entered on the
outside, causing a fracture of the bone in the midfoot and lodging in
the heel bone. He was admitted to Asker and Bærum Hospital on 22 July
where he underwent surgical treatment, involving wound toilet and
removal of a projectile. On the following day, N096 was transferred to
Østfold Hospital for further treatment and he was discharged on 2
August 2011.
N097, born *.*.1991
He was in the Little
Hall of the Cafe Building and was shot once in the face with the
pistol. The shot entered the left side of the face, passing through
the palate and leaving under the right eye, causing, inter alia, crush
injuries to the eye socket and injury to the optic nerve. N097 was
admitted to Oslo University Hospital on 22 July, where he underwent
several operations before being discharged on 1 August 2011.
N098, born *.*.1990
She was in the doorway
between the Little Hall and the corridor of the Cafe Building and was
shot once in the right knee with the pistol or rifle. The shot entered
on the outside of the knee, passed through the femur, causing a
fracture thereof. N098 was admitted to Ringerike Hospital on 22 July
where the femoral fracture was stabilized and she was transferred the
following day to Østfold Hospital, where she underwent surgery to
remove the projectile, wound toilet and treatment of the femoral
fracture. She was discharged therefrom on 31 July 2011.
N099, born *.*.1992
He was first in the Big
Hall of the Cafe Building and was shot several times with the pistol
and/or rifle and was hit in both thighs and right ankle. Thereafter he
fled out of the building and ended up at the island’s South Point
where he was subsequently shot while hiding behind a rock in the
water. The shots gave rise to wounds and N099 was hospitalized in
Ringerike Hospital from 22 to 25 July 2011, where soft tissue and a
projectile fragment were removed from the right thigh and the gunshot
wounds cleansed and sutured.
N100, born *.*.1992
She was in the Big Hall
of the Cafe Building and was shot several times with the pistol and/or
rifle in the throat, left upper arm and left little finger. The shot
to the throat caused the fracturing of the 3rd and 4th cervical
vertebrae and damage to the spinal cord, as well as extensive tissue
damage. The shot to the upper arm caused extensive fracture injuries.
She was admitted to Oslo University Hospital on 22 July, where she was
operated on several times for fixation of the cervical fracture, frame
fixation of the left upper arm and partial amputation of the left
little finger, in addition to wound toilet. N100 was transferred to
St. Olav’s Hospital on 15 August where she was hospitalized until 30
November 2011.
N101, born *.*.1994
She was on Lovers’ Path
and was shot once in the left side of the head with the pistol or
rifle. The shot caused scalp lesions and a cerebral haemorrhage. N101
was hospitalized in Ringerike Hospital, Oslo University Hospital and
Vestfold Hospital from 22 to 25 July 2011.
N102, born *.*.1993
She was on a ledge of
the escarpment below Lovers’ Path and was shot once in the back with
the pistol or rifle. The shot entered through the left part of the
lower back, damaging, inter alia, the left kidney and the pancreas
tail, colon and spleen. She was initially admitted and operated on in
Drammen Hospital, where the left kidney was removed and the colon
repaired, and she was thereafter transferred to Oslo University
Hospital on 24 July for new operations. In addition to the
abovedescribed abdominal injuries, she sustained extensive injuries to
the nerve roots of the lumbar back, involving paralysis of
musculature, especially in the left thigh. Following discharge on 18
August, N102 was transferred to Sunnaas Hospital for further
treatment.
N103, born *.*.1993
He was at the water’s
edge below Lovers’ Path and was shot at least four times with the
pistol and/or rifle. He was hit in the head, left shoulder region,
left hand and right forearm. The shot to the head entered the right
side and caused extensive injuries, involving an open cranial fracture
and damaged brain tissue, in addition to damage to the right eye and
adjacent bone structure. He has lost vision in his right eye. The shot
to the shoulder region shattered the shoulder joint and damaged the
nerves leading into the left arm. The shot to the left hand caused
extensive injuries and resulted in the amputation of three fingers.
N103 was admitted to Oslo University Hospital on 22 July, where he
underwent intensive treatment and was operated on numerous times
before being transferred to Sunnaas Hospital on 15 August 2011 for
further treatment.
N104, born *.*.1992
She was between the
water’s edge and Lovers’ Path and was shot several times with the
pistol and/or rifle. She was hit in the stomach, right elbow/upper
arm, right knee region and right part of the thoracic wall. The shot
to the stomach damaged, inter alia, the colon, small intestine and
abdominal wall. The shot to the elbow/upper arm caused extensive soft
tissue damage and the shot to the knee damaged tissue, ligaments and
joint capsule. She was initially admitted to and underwent emergency
surgery at Ringerike Hospital, where, inter alia, a portion of the
colon was removed, and was thereafter transferred to Oslo University
Hospital on 23 July, where she underwent several operations, inter
alia, to remove the right part of the colon and a portion of the small
intestine. Upon discharge on 22 August, N104 was transferred to the
University Hospital of North Norway, where she was hospitalized until
29 August 2011.
N105, born *.*.1993
He was in the water
below Lovers’ Path and was shot with the pistol and/or rifle and hit
in the right flank. A smaller projectile fragment entered the upper
right part of the stomach, without causing any serious injuries.
N106, born *.*.1994
She was in the
escarpment below Lovers’ Path and was shot at least twice with the
pistol and/or rifle, of which one shot entered under the right
shoulder blade and/or stomach and one shot entered the inside of the
right upper arm. She sustained gunshot injuries to the right lung,
fracturing of two ribs and a number of projectile fragments in the
thoracic wall and flank on the right side. N106 was admitted to Oslo
University Hospital on 22 July, where she underwent surgery and was
discharged on 10 August 2011.
N107, born *.*.1996
She was in the
escarpment below Lovers’ Path and was shot several times with the
pistol and/or rifle. She was hit in the left flank/stomach, throat
region and both thighs. The shot to the left flank/stomach led to
massive bleeding, and parts of the small intestine and colon had to be
removed. The shot to the throat necessitated the removal of parts of
the musculature between the shoulder and back and skin transplants.
The gunshot injuries to the thighs necessitated the removal of muscle
mass, especially from the left thigh. She was hospitalized in Oslo
University Hospital from 22 July to 16 August and was operated on a
total of six times. Thereafter N107 was transferred to the University
Hospital of North Norway from 26 August to 13 September for further
treatment.
N108, born *.*.1994
She was on a ledge
below Lovers’ Path and was shot at least twice in the right arm with
the pistol and/or rifle. The gunshots caused a relatively large open
wound on the forearm and two wounds on the upper arm. N108 was
hospitalized in Ringerike Hospital from 22 to 24 July 2011, where she
underwent surgical treatment, involving, inter alia, wound toilet and
the removal of projectile fragments.
N109, born *.*.1992
He was on a ledge below
Lovers’ Path and was shot once below the left knee cap with the pistol
or rifle, whereupon he fell down the escarpment, resulting in a
fracture of the left eye socket. The gunshot gave rise to an open
fracture of the tibia, extensive soft tissue damage and permanent
nerve damage in the lower leg. He was admitted to Ringerike Hospital
on 22 July where he underwent surgery, inter alia, to mount an
external fixation to stabilize the tibia fracture. On the following
day, N109 was transferred to the University Hospital of North Norway,
where he underwent surgery to treat the eye socket injury, fracture
injuries in the leg and wound toilet.
N110, born *.*.1995
She was at the
Pumphouse and was shot once in the right part of the chest with the
pistol or rifle. The shot entered into the right thoracic cavity and
penetrated the lung. She was admitted to Ringerike Hospital on 22 July
where an accumulation of air and blood in the thoracic cavity was
ascertained, and she was thereafter transferred to Oslo University
Hospital, where she underwent several surgical procedures to treat the
wounds in the chest, as well as to remove foreign bodies from the
face. N110 was discharged on 4 August 2011.
N111, born *.*.1991
He was at the Pumphouse
and was shot three times with the pistol and/or rifle. He was hit in
the right and left thighs and left part of the scrotum. The gunshots
caused three major wounds, involving extensive tissue damage. He was
admitted to Ringerike Hospital on 22 July and transferred to Stavanger
University Hospital on the following day. N111 was operated on several
times, inter alia, to remove projectile fragments, for wound toilet
and skin transplants, prior to discharge on 17 August 2011.
N112, born *.*.1990
He was at the Pumphouse
and was shot several times with the pistol and/or rifle. He was hit in
the abdomen, left shoulder and left thigh. The stomach, liver, left
lung and heart were damaged. The gunshots to the shoulder and thigh
necessitated the subsequent amputation of the arm and leg. He was
admitted to Ringerike Hospital on 22 July, where he underwent
emergency lifesaving treatment and was then transferred to Oslo
University Hospital the same night, where he underwent a series of
operations before being transferred to Sunnaas Hospital on 11 October
2011 for further treatment.
N113, born *.*.1995
He was in the vicinity
of West Point (Vestspissen) and was hit by a number of projectile
fragments from shots fired by the pistol or rifle which struck rocks
in the immediate vicinity of his hiding place. A large number of
fragments hit him, inter alia, in the left lower part of the face.
N113 was hospitalized in Oslo University Hospital from 22 to 27 July
2011, where he underwent surgical removal of some 150 minor fragments
from the face.
N114, born *.*.1996
He was in the vicinity
of West Point and was shot once in the left flank with the pistol or
rifle. The gunshot caused lesions and projectile fragments in the
pelvic area. N114 was admitted to Oslo University Hospital on 22 July
and underwent several wound cleansing procedures under general
anaesthesia.
N115, born *.*.1989
He was at South Point
and was shot once in the left shoulder with the pistol or rifle. He
was admitted to Ringerike Hospital on 22 July and underwent surgery to
remove, inter alia, damaged tissue and metal fragments before being
transferred to Telemark Hospital on 24 July, where he underwent
several operations. N115 was discharged at the beginning of August
2011.
N116, born *.*.1994
She was at South Point
and was shot three times with the pistol and/or rifle. She was hit in
the right forearm, right shoulder and right part of the face. The shot
to the face entered the jaw bone, fracturing the angle of the lower
jaw. The shot to the forearm gave rise to, inter alia, an open crush
fracture of both bone shafts and extensive soft tissue damage, and the
arm had to be amputated at the elbow. The shot to the shoulder gave
rise to extensive soft tissue damage and crush fracturing of the joint
capsule of the humerus. N116 was admitted to Ringerike Hospital on 22
July and thereafter transferred to Oslo University Hospital, where she
was hospitalized until 19 August 2011.
N117, born *.*.1993
She was at South Point
and was shot twice with the pistol and/or rifle, including one shot to
the left side of the face. The shot to the face entered through the
left cheek, causing several fractures of the head/facial skeleton and
projectile fragments penetrated into the brain. N117 was admitted to
Oslo University Hospital on 22 July, where she underwent two
operations before being transferred to Sunnaas Hospital on 19 August
for further treatment.
N118, born *.*.1993
She was at South Point
and was shot, inter alia, in the right thigh with the pistol or rifle.
The gunshot caused a wound and the accumulation of projectile
fragments in the thigh. She was admitted to Oslo University Hospital
on 22 July and underwent surgery, involving wound treatment and wound
toilet. On the following day, N118 was transferred to Østfold
Hospital, where she underwent two further operations in the thigh,
involving wound toilet, removal of projectile fragments and skin
transplant.
N119, born *.*.1993
She was at South Point
and was shot once in the left flank by the pistol or rifle. The
projectile entered the abdomen, causing extensive damage to internal
organs, including the stomach, colon and one kidney. The kidney and
parts of the colon had to be removed. N119 was hospitalized in Oslo
University Hospital from 22 July to 12 August 2011, where she was
operated on several times.
A number of other persons who were on Utøya
sustained physical injuries, such as fractures, cuts, etc. in their
attempts to save themselves and others. In addition, a large number of
persons who were on the island, surviving relatives/next of kin, as
well as persons who came to rescue in boats and by other means have
suffered mental aftereffects of varying gravity as a result of the
abovedescribed events.
The acts committed at Utøya have given rise to
serious fear in parts of the Norwegian population.
The defendant has committed extremely serious
offences on a scale that has never previously been experienced in our
country in modern times. In the defendant’s own opinion, these acts
have been legitimate and lawful, and there is undoubtedly an imminent
and obvious risk that new serious offences of the same nature may
occur. Considerations of public safety require a sentence ordering his
transfer to compulsory mental health care, and the conditions set out
in section 39 no. 1 have been met. Submission will be made for the
confiscation of three weapons (a Ruger brand semiautomatic Mini 14
rifle cal. 233, a Glock brand 9 mm semiautomatic pistol and a Benelli
brand pump shotgun) with the appurtenant ammunition. Furthermore,
submission will be made for the confiscation of objects used to
manufacture the bomb mentioned under count I of the Indictment, as
well as any clothing/equipment, etc. used during the commission of the
acts described under counts I and II.
Any claims for damages/compensation for
nonpecuniary damage by surviving relatives and aggrieved parties will
be filed by their respective counsel, cf. section 428 and section 264
b second subsection of the Criminal Procedure Act.
In light of the disclosure of the case at the time
of the indictment, there are no grounds for a submission of regular
punishment, cf. section 44 first subsection of the Penal Code.
Nevertheless, the prosecuting authority expressly reserves the right
to make a submission during the main hearing for a sentence of
imprisonment or preventive detention with a time frame of 21 years,
based on the overall presentation of evidence in court, for which the
defendant and defence counsel must be prepared. In such event, section
62 of the Penal Code shall apply.
No civil claims were presented in connection with
the criminal proceedings, nor did the Prosecuting Authority submit a
petition for any confiscations.
The main hearing was held in the period from 16
April to 22 June 2012 over 43 days in court. The defendant appeared
and acknowledged having committed the acts of which he is accused.
However, he pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Court heard 114 witnesses, of whom 21 were
privately appointed expert witnesses and 6 were courtappointed expert
witnesses. The evidence was presented as may be read in the court
records.
The prosecutor submitted the following plea:
For A, born *.*.1979, to be committed to compulsory
mental health care pursuant to the Penal Code, section 39, for having
committed the acts described in the indictment issued by Oslo Public
Prosecutor’s Office dated 13 April 2012.
In the alternative:
For A, born *.*.1979, to be convicted for the
violation of the Penal Code section 147a
first subsection paras. a) and b), cf. section 148
first subsection, first penalty alternative and section 233 first and
second subsections, and the Penal Code section 233 first and second
subsections, and the Penal Code Section 233 first and second
subsections cf. the Penal Code section 49, and the Penal Code section
147a first subsection letter b, cf. section 233 first and second
subsections, and the Penal Code section 233, first and second
subsections, cf. the Penal Code section 49, all seen in conjunction
with the Penal Code section 62, to preventive detention for a term of
21 years and a minimum period of 10 years.
From the said term and the said minimum period, a
deduction of 381 days (as of 21 June 2012) shall be made for time
spent in custody.
The defence counsel presented the following
plea:
Primarily:
For the petition of the Prosecuting Authority of A
‘s transferral to compulsory mental health care to be dismissed.
In the alternative:
For A to be acquitted.
For A to be treated as leniently as possible.
The defendant has, from the moment of his arrest,
in all police interviews and in all court hearings and at the trial,
acknowledged the very acts of which he is indicted. His statements
during the investigations on the planning and execution of the bomb
explosion at the Government District and on the shooting on Utøya have
been confirmed by police investigations. The defendant has maintained
his police statements in court. Hence, there is no doubt that the
defendant has committed the acts of which he is indicted.
Although the Court will discuss the objective and
subjective conditions for punishability further on in the judgment, in
relation to the relevant penal provisions, the deaths will henceforth
be referred to as murders, the personal injuries as attempted murders
and the explosion at the Government District and the shooting on Utøya
as terrorist acts.
2. On the defendant and his activities in the time
before the preparations for the terrorist acts
2.1 The defendant’s family background, childhood
and school years
The defendant was born on *.*.1979. The parents
were married at the time, and lived in ––– gate in Oslo. The mother
had the daughter B, who is 6 years older than the defendant, from a
previous relationship. The father had 3 children from a previous
marriage, and worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When the
defendant was 6 months old, the family (the mother, the father, the
defendant and his half sister) moved to London, where the father
worked as an embassy counsellor.
The parents split up when the defendant was a year
and a half old. The mother then moved back to the apartment in –––
gate with the defendant and his half sister.
In 1981, the defendant’s mother contacted the
social welfare office, applying for respite care in the form of
weekend home stays for the defendant. The application was accepted,
but after some time the arrangement was discontinued. In December
1982, the defendant moved with his mother and sister to X in Oslo. The
defendant later entered nursery school at the Y, where he stayed until
he started primary school.
The defendant’s mother contacted the family
counselling office in early 1983, and was referred to the National
Centre of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (SSBU). The family stayed at
the family day unit of the Juvenile Psychiatric Clinic from 1 to 25
February 1983. The defendant was 4 years old at the time. The stay
first resulted in a letter from SSBU to the Child Welfare Services
suggesting a weekend foster home.
Based on information on the care situation of the
defendant, his father filed a suit in the spring of 1983, claiming
that the responsibility for daily care of the defendant should be
transferred to him. The case was later settled, and the defendant
continued to live with his mother. The defendant had holiday stays
with his father until the age of 15, after which the contact was
broken.
In October of 1983, SSBU sent another letter to the
Child Welfare Services, stating, inter alia, that «A’s care situation
is so deficient that he is at risk of developing more serious
psychopathology». The letter was treated as a note of concern, and
investigations were instigated. The Child Welfare Services did not
find foster home placement appropriate, but recommended home
inspections for a short period. Oslo Child Welfare Committee closed
the case without implementing any form of assistance in the summer of
1984.
In the time period from 1986 to 1995, the defendant
attended Z Primary School and Æ Lower Secondary School.
The defendant and his mother moved to –––veien in
Oslo in 1994. By then, the sister had moved out to live on her own.
The same year – in December 1994 – a new child
welfare case was opened. The grounds were a note from the Child
Welfare Emergency Service Team after the defendant was stopped by the
police at Oslo Central Station, when he arrived by train from Denmark
with 43 spray paint cans in his bag. In February/March 1994, the
defendant was reported to the police twice for graffiti. The Child
Welfare Services closed the case without taking any measures on 15
March 1995.
In the fall of 1995, the defendant entered Ø Upper
Secondary School, where he was a student for 1 year before switching
to the upper secondary school Å. He left school out of his own will
during the third and final year in the fall of 1997 without graduating
with a diploma. According to the defendant’s statement, he left school
because he wanted to earn money and establish himself as an
entrepreneur.
The defendant left his mother’s home in 2000.
First, he rented a room in ––– gate in Oslo and in 2001 he moved into
a shared apartment in ––– gate. In September 2003, he moved to an
apartment at ––– gate, where he lived alone until the fall of 2006,
when he moved back in with his mother at –––veien. In April 2011, the
defendant rented a small farm in Åmot Municipality in Østerdalen, and
he moved there in May 2011. The Court will revert to the time from
2006 onwards under the discussion of the question of criminal sanity.
The defendant has not done compulsory military
service or civilian national service.
2.2 The defendant’s work experience and business
activities
In the summer of 1997, the defendant was employed
in the company Direkte Respons Senteret. First, he worked part time
and later full time with the company. His duties were related to
telemarketing and customer service. According to the defendant, he was
promoted to team leader after some time. In 2001, the company was
acquired and the name changed to SNT Norway. He continued to work in
the company until April 2003.
During the period while the defendant was employed
in Direkte Respons Senteret, he founded and ran several types of
business through various companies.
In the summer of 1998, the defendant and a friend
founded the company A og C Marketing AS. The company sold telecom
services, but the business generated little income and was dissolved
after a short period.
Media Group AS was founded in the summer of 1999.
The company did development and sales of outdoor marketing spots in
Oslo. In June 2001, the defendant sold the shares in the company
without making a profit.
In July 2001, the defendant founded the sole
proprietorship Citygroup. He had a go at various types of business,
including sales of software solutions and advertising business. The
company was dissolved in December 2004.
The defendant was in Liberia in 2002, probably in
order to check out the possibility of purchasing diamonds. The police
have confiscated receipts dated prior to the trip to Liberia from the
purchase of two raw diamonds and a magnifying lens, and they have
disclosed telephone calls to various diamond vendors in Norway,
England and the USA both before and after the trip. The defendant
himself has explained that he was in Liberia to meet a Serbian
nationalist.
In December 2002, the defendant set up the website
Diplomaservice.com. Through this website, he sold false diplomas
apparently issued by various institutions of higher education.
In January 2005, he founded the company E–Commerce
Group AS. From within this enterprise, he continued with the sale of
diplomas. He employed 2 persons fulltime in Norway and rented offices
in Pilestredet in Oslo. After some time, the sales of the false
diplomas generated considerable income, for which tax was mostly not
paid.
To enable money laundering of the income from the
sales of false diplomas, the defendant founded the company Brentwood
Solutions LTD in a tax haven in the Caribbean. The income was
deposited in an account in the name of Brentwood Solutions LTD in a
foreign bank, and later transferred to E–Commerce Group AS as payment
for services. Police investigations have shown payments of altogether
NOK 3 687 588 for sales of false documents in the period from 2002 to
2006. The defendant discontinued the operations of E–Commerce Group AS
in the first half of 2006. By then he had a not insignificant share
portfolio, in addition to savings from the sales of diplomas. The
company then went into compulsory liquidation in January 2008.
After the defendant discontinued the sales of false
diplomas in the winter of 2006, he has not had any income from any
employments or from his own enterprise. Nor has he received any
financial support from the public authorities.
In addition to the abovementioned activities, the
defendant has been trading in shares from 1997, except in the period
1998 to 2002. In the years 2005 and 2006, he made slightly less than
350 transactions in his own name or in the name of E–Commerce Group
AS. In the years 2007 to 2009, the defendant sold shares for a bit
more than 1.1 million NOK, spread over 60 transactions.
2.3 The period from 2006 – World of Warcraft
In the autumn of 2006, the defendant, as already
mentioned, moved back in with his mother in –––veien. In the following
year, he had practically no contact with friends. His main activity
this year was playing the online game World of Warcraft.
The period from 2006 is central in the assessment
of the criminal sanity of the defendant; hence, the Court will go into
further detail on his gaming activities and what World of Warcraft is
about.
The defendant set up an account to play World of
Warcraft on 2 March 2006. WoW, with a recommended lower age limit of
12, is an online roleplayer game in which several players can play on
teams with a common objective. The game is mainly about solving
assignments for rewards. Such an assignment may be anything from
collecting carrots to killing a dragon. Solving an assignment in the
game may take weeks. As you proceed, solving assignments, you will get
access to «gold» and «properties» and be awarded points. Gradually,
you can advance to new levels in the game. All playing takes place in
real time online, and the players collaborate verbally through
microphone headsets connected to each player’s computer.
The defendant played a character by the name A
Nordic until 2009. In 2009, his character changed the name to
Conservatism. In the document Agenda New.doc, which is a diary found
on a seized computer in the apartment in –––veien, the defendant
writes that he has had several roles in the game, including guild
master [sic ], and played in several guilds until 2009. A guild is the
same as a team, and a guild master is a team leader. A team leader is
responsible for coordinating the players’ efforts in the game.
According to the defendant’s diary, he was a guild
master for the team Virtue in 2006. This was confirmed by a witness
who played World of Warcraft actively himself in theperiod 2005 to
2008, in periods on the same guild as the defendant. After the
expansion pack The Burning Crusade was released, the defendant joined
the guild Unit in 2007, where the witness was the guild master. The
witness described the Unit activity level as high. The players would
play six to seven days a week, and for up to 12 to 16 hours a day,
including their own preparations. The witness himself played 16 hours
a day, and believed that the defendant played nearly as much. He
explained that the defendant’s player rank was «Officer», and that the
defendant was the best officer the witness had had. In the diary, the
defendant describes himself as a deputy guild master until the guild
split up later on the same year. The defendant then joined the team
Nevermore, where he was a regular player for 18 months.
The player witness further described the defendant
as a social player, with many friends in the game. The defendant
appeared knowledgeable, and was good at motivating guild mates. He
never discussed politics, but might for instance discuss soccer. The
defendant never mentioned that he was writing a book. The witness has
not met the defendant outside of cyberspace.
The defendant’s World of Warcraft account was
inactive from 29 May to 10 December 2008. According to the defendant’s
own posting to World of Warcraft forum sites, in this period he played
the computer game Age of Conan. The defendant resumed playing World of
Warcraft on 10 December 2008, and on 20 January 2009 he joined the
guild Goosfraba. A chart shows that in the period from 23 November
2010 until 3 March 2011, the defendant played on average 6.5 hours a
day, and on certain days as much as 17 hours. There is no evidence of
any playing time after 3 March 2011.
3. The runup to the terrorist acts
3.1 The compendium
The same day the terrorist acts were committed, the
defendant distributed a compendium, also referred to as the Manifesto,
to a number of email addresses. The compendium was written under the
pseudonym A2. It has not been established when the defendant started
working on the compendium; however, he claims himself it was in 2007.
At the trial the defendant stated that the compendium had been made to
create a foundation for the development of a revolutionary right in
Europe.
The compendium consists of 1518 pages – 1801 pages
after the police’s reformatting – and it is written in English. It is
titled «2083 A European Declaration of Independence». The defendant
explained that 2083 refers to the year that will mark the 400th
anniversary of the Battle of Vienna in 1683. He believes this was one
of the two most important battles in the history of Europe, because it
prevented the Ottoman Empire from conquering all of Western Europe.
The rest of its title, European Declaration of Independence, is
supposedly taken from an essay written by a blogger known as Fjordman.
The compendium is divided into three books. Book 1
is titled: «What you need to know, our falsified history and other
forms of cultural Marxist/multiculturalist propaganda». Book 1
provides a subjective presentation of European history with a
particular emphasis on describing Islam as a violenceoriented
ideology. Little of its content has been written by the defendant
himself; it consists of texts taken from different sources, presumably
from the Internet. Book 2 is titled «Europe Burning». The defendant
has described book 2 as the ideological part of the compendium. Some
of it has been written by the defendant himself, but most of it has
been taken from the writings of others. Book 3 is titled «A
declaration of preemptive War» and it was written by the defendant
himself. He describes this book as the military part of the manifesto,
where the reader is encouraged to participate in an ongoing civil war
in Europe.
In book 3, the defendant has, amongst other things,
described his own tasks, and circumstances linked to the preparations
for and execution of the terrorist acts on 22 July 2011. He has
furthermore given a description of a network he calls the Knights
Templar. He writes, inter alia, that he took 50 pages of notes during
the network’s founding meeting in London in 2002, which later formed
the basis of the compendium. In police interviews and in his statement
in court, the defendant has upheld the compendium’s description of the
basic features of the Knights Templar. He has nonetheless gradually
toned down the importance of the organisation and its members,
stating, inter alia, that he in the compendium has presented a pompous
description of the factual circumstances.
3.2 Knights Templar
According to the police’s notes, the defendant said
the following when he was arrested on 22 July 2011:
«We want to seize power in Europe within 60 years.
I am a Commander of the Knights Templar Norway. The Knights Templar
was established in 2002 in London with delegates from 12 countries. We
are crusaders and nationalists.»
The defendant’s presentation of his role within the
Knights Templar has been central in relation to the question of his
criminal sanity. The police investigation shows that the network most
probably does not exist, and the question is whether the defendant’s
description of the Knights Templar may be a manifestation of
delusions. The Court shall therefore present the main features of the
defendant’s description of the Knights Templar.
The defendant has stated that he came into contact
with militant nationalists on the Internet in 2001, later leading to
the establishment of the Knights Templar. NATO’s bombing of Serbia
during the conflict in Kosovo in 1999 was, according to the defendant,
«the straw that broke the camel’s back» for many of these militant
nationalists.
In April 2002, the defendant went to Liberia,
purportedly to meet a militant Serbian nationalist, before continuing
to London to participate in the founding meeting of the Knights
Templar. The police investigation has shown that the defendant was in
Liberia at the time in question, but there is nothing to indicate that
the defendant had any contact with a Serbian during his stay there.
The police believe the purpose of the trip was to explore the
possibilities of buying diamonds.
The defendant has all along maintained that he met
three other nationalists at the founding meeting in London. The police
investigation confirms that the defendant was in London in early May
2002; however, it has not been established what he did or who, if any,
he met during his stay there. Neither in police interviews nor at the
trial did the defendant want to give any further information about the
establishment of or the members of the Knights Templar, presumably
because such information may contribute towards revealing other
members of the Knights Templar network.
According to the defendant’s statement, the Knights
Templar is not an organisation in the traditional sense. The defendant
has all along maintained that between 15 and 80 persons from different
European countries belong to the network. They operate as autonomous
and independent oneman cells, and there is no contact among them. With
the current situation in Europe, it is impossible to establish a
European militant organisation, because it will be discovered by
national intelligence services. The defendant has also upheld his
earlier statement that he met persons with links to the Knights
Templar network during two farright extremist gatherings in the Baltic
in 2004. The police investigation has revealed that the defendant was
in Lithuania in January and in Estonia in April 2004, presumably to
open accounts that later were used for laundering the proceeds of fake
school certificate sales.
The defendant has furthermore explained that the
Knights Templar is a network of militant nationalists. The name comes
from the Knights Templar Order, which was a Catholic monastic order
with military functions. This monastic order participated in the
Crusades in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. According to the
defendant, the Knights Templar is to defend the interests of the
European indigenous people by contributing to the deportation of as
many Muslims as possible from Europe. According to the defendant, the
Knights Templar is a military order and a military tribunal that
defines its own targets and means, including who are to be killed.
The Knights Templar network’s ideal is the
«crusader identity». A knight is a «perfect foot soldier» in the
struggle against Muslim invasion in Europe. The defendant refers to
him self alternately as «cell commander», «knight» and «foot soldier».
The defendant explained in court that the symbols including rituals,
medals and uniforms described in the compendium do not exist, but that
they are meant as suggestions to future members.
Based on the evidence provided during the main
hearing, the Court has not found grounds indicating that the Knights
Templar exists. The Court shall revert to the significance of this in
the assessment of the defendant’s criminal sanity.
3.3 The defendant’s stated motives – ideology
The defendant has stated political motives for the
terrorist acts of 22 July 2011. The defendant’s political views are
presented in his compendium and have also been discussed during police
interviews and during the courtappointed experts’ conversations with
him. At the trial, the defendant started his statement with a
prepared, continuous account of his political views. He also underwent
a lengthy incourt examination on this topic. Below follows a short
presentation of some of the principal elements of the defendant’s
views.
The defendant is of the opinion that ethnic
Norwegians have been under attack in the form of ethnic
«deconstruction» since the Labour Party opened up for mass immigration
in the 1960s. Norway has been transformed into a multicultural state,
where the Norwegian indigenous population is in the process of being
exterminated. All the parties in Parliament (Storting), but
particularly the Labour Party, are responsible for this. Today’s
immigration policy will result in Muslims forming the majority
population, first in large cities such as Oslo, during the course of 5
to 10 years, and later throughout the entire country.
Leading Norwegian politicians are participating,
according to the defendant, in cooperation with European elites where
the aim is to promote «multiculturalism». The multicultural project
has never been submitted to Norwegian voters, but, on the contrary,
has been kept concealed by politicians and the media. The Norwegian
press has defining powers and real freedom of expression does not
exist. What is today called democracy is in reality a cultural Marxist
dictatorship. When nationalists and cultural conservatives are not
allowed access to the media, it will not be possible either to stop
the «deconstruction» of Norwegian ethnicity, culture and Christian
value base, by using peaceful means. Armed revolution is then the only
alternative. The defendant claims that if he and likeminded persons
can force the Labour Party to change their immigration policy, then
this could contribute to preventing civil war in Norway.
The defendant is of the opinion that Norwegian
culture has been destroyed by the Marxists through a Marxist cultural
revolution. The curriculum of Norwegian schools supports this. Songs
such as «Children of the Rainbow» are used to brainwash school pupils.
Women should not work, but devote themselves to their families and the
production of ethnic Norwegian children. Institutions should also be
established for this purpose. The defendant wishes to see a militant
church, as the church was before the Reformation when the Pope was the
highest military leader in Europe. Christian leaders in Norway and the
rest of Europe should support militant nationalists who are fighting
against the de-Christianization of Europe.
The defendant described himself as an
ultranationalist. The mandate to kill in order to save «his people» is
something he has given himself as cell commander of the Knights
Templar. By means of the acts of 22 July 2011, he wanted to provoke a
witch hunt against moderate cultural conservative nationalist. The
witch hunt will contribute to more censorship, which in turn will lead
to polarization and contribute to further radicalization. The more
people lose faith in a peaceful fight, the more will become
revolutionaries. The defendant describes the terrorist acts of 22 July
as a preemptive attack in defence of the Norwegian indigenous people
and Norwegian culture. He himself is merely a tool for a revolution.
Universal human rights allow for the defence of one’s own ethnic group
and culture.
The defendant explains his own radicalization as
the result of confrontations that he and his friends have had with
Muslims during childhood and adolescent years. None of the defendant’s
friends who testified in court during the trial were able to confirm
any of these incidents. The Court takes for a fact that the
development of the defendant’s anti-Islam views are connected, inter
alia, with his rightwing extremist contacts on the Internet.
The Court would note that the evidence presented at
the trial has demonstrated that the defendant’s extreme
immigrationcritical views are shared by others.Both the terrorist
attacks in the USA on 11 September 2001 and the cartoon dispute in
Denmark have nourished anti-Islamic currents. Within rightwing
extremist groups there are also others who believe that there exists a
secret cooperation to Islamize Europe, something that is expressed,
inter alia, on a number of websites. Such conspiracy theories clearly
have gained some foothold. One such conspiracy theory is called
Eurabia. The supporters of this conspiracy theory claim, inter alia,
that European countries are systematically being Islamized through
planned immigration from Muslim countries. Few likeminded people share
the defendant’s view that this Islamization must be combated by means
of terrorism. It suffices for the Court to refer to the fact that the
witnesses Postdoctoral Fellow Lars Gule, journalist Øyvind Strømme,
Professor Mattias Gardell, Senior Researcher Brynjar Lia and Professor
Tore Bjørgo all gave detailed accounts on this score.
3.4 Preparations
The defendant initiated the practical preparations
for the terrorist acts in 2009.
In May 2009, he set up the company Geofarm, which
in the course of March 2011 was converted into A Geofarm. The purpose
of this business enterprise was presumably to purchase ingredients for
the manufacture of the bomb.
It has been established that the defendant applied
for credit cards to several credit card companies during
September/October 2009. In total, he had ten different credit cards
which he used. The total credit limit was NOK 235 000. The credit
cards were hardly used before April 2011. The defendant ran out of
funds in his Norwegian bank accounts on 26 April 2011. Most
transactions after this date were made with credit cards. The
remaining credit on 23 July 2011 was NOK 27 618.
In the compendium, the defendant is depicted in a
selfmade uniform with references to the Knights Templar. The police
have traced the purchases of uniform insignia back to eleven different
purchases from eleven suppliers in five countries between September
2009 and May 2010.
Both in the Government District and on the island
of Utøya, the defendant wore clothes and equipment which bore
resemblance to the uniform of the police. The police have identified a
total of 36 purchases from 29 suppliers in eight countries linked to
this equipment between April 2010 and March 2011; however, most of the
purchases were made between May and July 2010.
The defendant acquired four weapons – two rifles,
one pistol and one shotgun – as well as ammunition for the weapons. He
resold one of the rifles. In total, the police have identified 22
purchases linked to the weapons/ammunition from 14 retailers in four
countries. Most purchases were made between May 2010 and June 2011.
On 6 April 2011, the defendant signed the lease to
rent Vålstua farm in Østerdalen Valley from 1 May 2011. The rent was
NOK 10 000 per month. The defendant paid a deposit of NOK 30 000. He
moved to the farm on 4 May 2011. The main purpose of renting the farm
was its suitability for the manufacture of the bomb.
The bomb which was detonated in the Government
District, weighed 950 kilos with a probable explosive force of between
400 and 700 kilo of TNT. The explosive in the bomb, made by the
defendant himself, consisted of a mixture of artificial fertiliser,
diesel and aluminium. The police have identified 43 purchases from 36
suppliers in five countries between September 2010 and July 2011 which
are linked to the manufacture of the bomb.
In court, the defendant described how the various
components of the bomb were produced and put together to make the
bomb. During interviews with the police, he also described the
manufacturing process. The description has subsequently been verified
by the police, who concluded that the bomb was manufactured like the
defendant explained. The police have also carried out a test
detonation of a bomb manufactured according to the defendant’s
descriptions.
The bomb was manufactured at Vålstua farm, and the
defendant spent several weeks on this process. The Court was shown an
illustration which the defendant himself made at therequest of the
police. The drawing shows the manufacturing process of the bomb. An
essential component was artificial fertiliser, which he bought from
Felleskjøpet at Rena. The artificial fertiliser came in prills (small
spheres) that had to be ground. The defendant used food processors to
accomplish this.
On 15 July 2011, the defendant picked up the «bomb
van», a VW crafter, from Avis car rental in Oslo. The defendant also
rented a Fiat Doblò. On 20 July, he drove the Crafter to Oslo. He
parked the car in the vicinity of his mother’s flat and spent the
night there. On 21 July 2011, he took the train back to Rena and a
taxi back to the farm. At the farm, the defendant completed his last
preparations before driving the Doblò to Oslo and parking it near his
mother’s flat at approximately 23:30. The defendant spent the night at
his mother’s flat.
In the morning of 22 July 2011, some activity on
the defendant’s computer has been registered from 08:15 until 10:39.
The defendant then prepared to distribute his compendium. He then
drove the Doblò, which he later used as a getaway car, from Skøyen to
Hammersborg Torg Square, in the vicinity of the Government District,
and paid for a parking ticket at 12:03. He walked from Hammersborg
Torg Square, via the Government District, where he was filmed by CCTV
cameras from 12:06:59 until 12:09:19, to Stortorvet. He then took a
taxi back to his mother’s flat.
Back in the flat, he uploaded the video «Knights
Templar 2083 – Movie Trailer» to the websites Veoh.com and Youtube.com.
The defendant explained that the video was made around February 2010,
and that it is a short version of the compendium. The defendant made
the video by downloading pictures from the Internet, edited some of
them in Photoshop and combined all the pictures with text and music in
Windows Movie Maker, the video editing programme. The video, which is
mentioned at the beginning of the compendium, is a 12-minute 22-second
footage. It consists of 99 still photos with images and/or text. The
video is divided into four parts: (1) The Rise of Cultural Marxism in
Western Europe, (2) Islamic Colonization, (3) Hope, (4) New Beginning.
The defendant sent out an email with the compendium
as an attachment to a number of email addresses. The police
examination of the defendant’s computer showed that he attempted to
send it to 8 109 email addresses at 14:09. The email with the
compendium was registered as being received by 958 email addresses.
The defendant has explained that he used two
Facebook accounts to distribute the email. He sent out friend requests
to a great number of people, and whenever his friend request was
accepted, he would save the email address in a list which in the end
totalled 8 109 email addresses. Moreover, he has said that the
addresses were collected in the course of a period of just over 4
months, from November 2009 to February 2010.
As part of the defendant’s performanceenhancing
preparations, he took three courses of anabolic steroids over an
18-month period prior to the terrorist attacks; one from February
until May 2010, one from December 2010 until February 2011, and one
from April until 22 July 2011. The last course consisted of a daily
intake of 40 mg of Dianabol from 25 April to 15 June 2011, followed by
a daily intake of 50 mg of Stanasolol. The defendant explained that he
also worked out at a fitness centre and exercised by going hiking with
a stonefilled backpack. Additionally, he obtained shooting practice
through his membership in a pistol club.
Furthermore, the defendant took a stimulant called
«ekastack», during the last two or three days before the terrorist
attacks. Ekastack consists of ephedrine, caffeine and Aspirin.
Professor Jørg Mørland, Dr. Med., of the National Institute of Public
Health, who carried out an expert assessment of whether the defendant
was under the influence at the time of committing the acts, wrote the
following about the substance ephedrine in his expert report:
«Ephedrine can, depending on the dosage, have a
stimulating effect on the central nervous system, similar to that of
amphetamine. Higher dosages and higher blood concentrations can give
intoxication symptoms where increased selfconfidence, increased
willingness to take risks and chances, as well as impaired critical
sense, may occur. It is also assumed that there will be an increased
risk of aggression and violence.»
From the ephedrine and caffeine concentrations
found in blood and hair samples taken during the early hours of 23
July 2011, Mørland concluded that during the period 12:00 to 15:30 on
22 July 2011, the defendant was «slightly to moderately» under the
influence of a central nervous system stimulant, similar to the
influence achieved after an oral intake of 10–30 mg of amphetamine by
someone not accustomed to using it. The use of anabolic steroids was
not considered to have resulted in any additional effect, but «the
possibility that it may have exaggerated any aggression and
hypomania/mania can not be completely ruled out».
The defendant has also explained that he prepared
himself mentally for the forthcoming terrorist acts by using a
meditation technique to «deemotionalise» himself. This technique,
which according to the defendant is the same as the one used by
Japanese warriors, involved efforts where he concentrated intensely on
what he was doing, while listening to specially selected music. The
defendant was observed with earplugs when he was walking around on
Utøya, but he said himself that he did not listen to music while he
was on the island.
Finally, the defendant explained that he played a
violent computer game called «Call of Duty, Modern Warfare II» in the
time leading up to the terrorist acts. He allegedly used the game to
simulate combat with the police Delta force. Police investigation
confirms that he played «Call of Duty» since 2010 for about 130 hours.
4. Particulars of the terrorist acts
4.1 The Government District
4.1.1 Introduction
On Friday 22 July 2011 around 15:00, the defendant
drove the bomb van (the Crafter) from Skøyen to the Government
District, where he parked it at 15:17 near Einar Gerhardsen Square.
There are a number of CCTV cameras in the area. The bomb explosion
itself and its impact have therefore been well documented, and
approximately a 15-minute video footage from the relevant time period
was played to the Court.
In the video, one can see the car being parked just
outside the entrance to the H-block. As stated above, the defendant
had placed a selfmade bomb of approximately 950 kilos inside the car.
The defendant lit a fuse with a burn time of some seven minutes and
then left the car by foot. The video shows that he walked briskly in
the direction of his getaway car (the Doblò). The defendant was
wearing a selfmade uniform with reflective ribbons and insignia, which
resembled the police uniforms. He wore a bulletproof vest and a helmet
with visor and he had a pistol in a holster strapped to his thigh.
The footage shows images from the explosion at
15:25:22 filmed by several CCTV cameras.
Eight people died as a result of the explosion.
Many persons were injured, several of them seriously. The indictment
names the dead and the nine persons who were most seriously injured.
During the prosecution’s opening statement, a list of 480 persons who
were present in the Government District when the bomb detonated, but
whose names were not included in the indictment, was submitted. At the
trial, several of these persons gave detailed and strong testimonies
about their experiences, which the Court has also used as its basis
for the further presentation of the course of events. It was purely a
matter of chance that no further human lives were lost.
No buildings collapsed as a result of the
explosion, but several of the buildings in the Government District
were completely destroyed by the bomb. Buildings inside a 100-metre
radius of the blast were especially hard hit. Furthermore, shattered
window panes were registered in a vicinity of 400 metres from the
blast site. A large number of window panes in the Government District
were shattered and building façades incurred material damage. Outside
the H-block, glass, building debris and documents were strewn, blown
out by the shock wave from the bomb. The bomb van left a 3–4-metre
crater. Inside the buildings, furniture and equipment were smashed.
The bomb sent heavy smoke aloft causing fire to break out in the R4
building, which houses the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy and the
Ministry of Trade and Industry.
Dead and injured persons were found in the midst of
the chaos of glass, documents and building debris, both inside and
outside. Many injured people managed to get out on their own, but it
was difficult to find the way inside the destroyed premises. Search
and rescue work was also made difficult because of the extensive
damage. In addition to the efforts of the fire and rescue personnel,
security personnel, health personnel and the police, ministry
employees and bypassers did what they could to help.
Many of those affected, including those who were
not physically injured, have later struggled with psychological
aftereffects of varying scope and duration. The Court received
accounts of anxiety, a sense of feeling unsafe, depression,
sleeplessness and concentration difficulties. Many people have been on
sick leave after the terrorist attack. Professor Are Holen, Department
of Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and
Associate Professor Dagfinn Winje, submitted their expert reports on
10 April 2012 concerning possible health problems that may result from
the terrorist attacks in the Government District and on Utøya Island.
Acute strain problems, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
depression and/or various types of anxiety disorders are among the
mental injuries that may be expected. At the trial, the experts
elaborated further on various factors of the traumatising incident
that may lead to an increased prevalence of mental injuries and
reactions. Among other things, they emphasised factors such as the
cause and gravity of the incident, whether the incident could have
been predicted and prevented, and the scope of personal loss suffered,
including the death of or serious injury to persons close to them.
4.1.2 The murders
The Court will first give an account of each
individual murder. The descriptions below of where the deceased were
located and the cause of death are based on the autopsy reports, as
well as the statements of Police Superintendent Ole Morten Størseth
and Doctor Arne Stray-Pedersen at the National Institute of Public
Health.
N001, born *.*.1979, worked in the Law Department
of the Ministry of Justice. He was on holiday, but was stopping by his
workplace to hand in a manuscript. N001 was in the process of crossing
Einar Gerhardsen Square on his way into the reception area of the
H-block and was in the immediate proximity of the van when the bomb
exploded. N001 died immediately of massive injuries caused by the
shockwave and splinters/objects that hit him.
N002, born *.*.1977, worked in the International
Secretariat of the Ministry of Justice. She was on her way out of the
H-block and in the immediate proximity of the van when the bomb
exploded. N002 died immediately of massive injuries caused by the
shockwave and splinters/objects that hit her.
N003, born *.*.1981, worked in the Ministry of
Labour and Social Inclusion. She was outside the entrance of the
H-block when the bomb exploded and she died instantly of very
extensive injuries to the head and body caused by the shockwave and
splinters/objects that hit her.
N004, born *.*.1959, worked in the Office of the
Prime Minister. She was in the reception area on the ground floor of
the H-block when the bomb went off. She died immediately of extensive
injuries to the neck and spinal cord caused by the shockwave and
splinters/objects that hit her.
N005, born *.*.1950, worked as a receptionist with
the Government Administration Services, and was on duty in the H-block
at the time in question. She was in the reception area on the ground
floor when the bomb exploded and she died immediately of extensive
injuries to the chest and abdomen caused by the shockwave and
splinters/objects that hit her.
N006, born *.*.1984, worked in the Civil Affairs
Department of the Ministry of Justice. She was in the reception area
on the ground floor of the H-block when the bomb exploded, and died
immediately of massive injuries to the head and body caused by the
shockwave and splinters/objects that hit her.
N007, born *.*.1978, did not have any connection to
the ministries, but was running his own restaurant in Kristian Augusts
gate. He happened to be walking past Grubbegata near the driveway
leading to the H-block main entrance when the bomb went off. He died
immediately of massive injuries to the head, chest and abdomen caused
by the shockwave and splinters/objects that hit him.
N008, born *.*.1954, did not have any connection to
the ministries either. She was on her way home from work at EL & IT
Forbundet (the Electrician and IT Workers’ Union), and was in the
proximity of the fountain at Einar Gerhardsen Square when the bomb
exploded. She died rapidly of extensive injuries to the throat and
chest caused by the shockwave and splinters/objects that hit her.
4.1.3 The attempted murders
In the explosion, nine persons were seriously
injured. Apart from two of these – N009 and N010 – they all testified
in court. For Mr. N009 and Ms. N010, their police statements were read
out at the trial. For all of them, medical certificates were
submitted, describing their injuries in further detail.
The indictment provides an accurate description of
the physical injuries inflicted upon these aggrieved parties.
Nevertheless, the Court will give a brief description of the injuries.
The descriptions below of how each person was injured, and the extent
of the injuries, are based on the statements of the aggrieved parties
and on medical certificates.
In addition to the physical injuries, are the
psychological aftereffects. Here, the Court will not mention these
specifically. However, it is obvious that many of the aggrieved
parties have had considerable psychological reactions as a consequence
of the terrorist act.
N009, born *.*.1949, was on his way to pick up his
wife, who works in the Ministry of Justice, and he was standing
outside the couple’s car by the fountain at Einar Gerhardsen Square
when the bomb exploded. He sustained extensive fracture injuries and
wounds to the head/face and right lower leg, chest wounds and
haemorrhaging under the dura mater. Several splinters had to be
removed surgically from his chest and face, and his right leg
subsequently had to be amputated below the knee. N009 was hospitalized
in Oslo University Hospital from 22 July until 19 September 2011,
where he was operated on approximately 13 times. Thereafter he stayed
in Sunnaas Hospital until 15 November 2011 and at Fram Health
Rehabilitation Centre until 10 January 2012.
N010, born *.*.1964, happened to cross Einar
Gerhardsen Square to catch the bus, and was close to the fountain when
the bomb exploded. She sustained extensive wounds to the head/face,
chest, arms and legs. She had fractures to the skull and facial bones
and injuries to both ears. The artery of her left upper arm was
ruptured, causing injuries to nerves, muscles and ligaments of the
same arm. Damaged tissue had to be removed from the chest. Her hearing
has been impaired and she is suffering from tinnitus. She has a large
scar from her chest to her right armpit. She has lost the force of her
left arm, and is unable to lift her right arm. N010 was hospitalized
in Oslo University Hospital from 22 July until 26 August 2011, where
she underwent several operations, inter alia, to remove splinters.
N011, born *.*.1986, had a summer job at OBOS very
close to the Government District, and was in Grubbegata at Einar
Gerhardsen Square when the bomb exploded. He sustained serious wounds
to the arms and legs, as well as burns to one of his arms. N011 was
hospitalized in Oslo University Hospital from 22 July until the middle
of August 2011 and underwent five operations, inter alia, to remove
splinters. He has also had intense abdominal pains, possibly related
to internal bleeding. N011 has been admitted to hospital thrice due to
these pains.
N012, born *.*.1944, is employed with the
Correctional Services Department at the Ministry of Justice. He was on
the 4th floor of the H-block when the bomb went off. N012 fell
unconscious as the bomb went off, and he woke up after a while without
vision. N012 sustained extensive wounds and fracture injuries to the
head/face, including a fractured jaw and extensive dental injuries, in
addition to wounds on the arms and left flank. There were also lung
and liver injuries caused by the pressure, and minor bleeding in the
brain. Multiple eye injuries have resulted in an 80% loss of vision.
N012 was hospitalized in Oslo University Hospital from 22 July until
24 August 2011, where he was operated on several times. Thereafter he
was at the Cato Rehabilitation Centre until 21 September 2011. At the
time of the trial, several operations still remained to be done. His
hearing has been reduced, and he has suffered from head pains.
N013, born *.*.1987, had a summer job as a
receptionist with the Government Administration Services. On 22 July
she was on duty in the reception on the ground floor in the H-block.
N013 was found on the outside of the building. She sustained serious
head injuries, involving a cranial fracture, crush injuries to
cerebral tissue and bleeding under the thin meninges. Furthermore, she
sustained a fracture of the facial skeleton, pressure injuries to both
lungs, injury to the liver and a number of wounds to the head/face and
on both legs. N013 was hospitalized in Oslo University Hospital from
22 July until 22 August 2011. She underwent lifesaving treatment and
was operated on several times. After the explosion she was in a coma
for a long time, and later she has had vision loss and posttraumatic
amnesia. For instance, she did not remember her parents’ names. From
Oslo University Hospital she was transferred to Sunnaas Hospital,
where she stayed until 17 November 2011, and she was later
hospitalized in the same hospital in the period 3 January to 22
February 2012 for cognitive treatment. N013 has studied political
science for three years, but she has forgotten what she learned. She
has plans to resume her studies, but is now being taught at lower
secondary school level.
N014, born *.*.1950, is employed at the
International Secretariat of the Ministry of Justice, and was on the
7th floor of the H-block when the bomb exploded. She made her way out
of the building together with N015 and another colleague. N014 was
taken to the emergency clinic and treated for extensive wounds to the
head and face. Several of the wounds and injuries were closed with a
total of some 60 sutures. N014 also sustained an injury to the left
eye, resulting in impaired binocular vision. She has problems with
coordination and depth vision, and suffers from dizziness and
impairment of memory. She also has balance problems.
N015, born *.*.1961, works in the Polar Department
of the Ministry of Justice. She was on the 10th floor of the H-block
when the bomb exploded. N015 got out of the building together with
N014 and another colleague. During the explosion she was hit by an
approximately 30 cmlong, fingerthick wooden splinter from the window
ledge that penetrated the head next to the left ear, passing backwards
between the cranium and the skin. N015 was treated at the Oslo
Emergency Clinic, where the wooden splinter was removed surgically and
the wound closed with 27 sutures. She explained at the trial that
splinters were still coming out of her head. In addition to the
abovementioned injury, she also sustained a concussion and an injury
to a jaw muscle.
N016, born *.*.1980, works in the Norwegian Water
Resources and Energy Directorate. He was on the first floor of the
government building R4 when the bomb went off. N016 sustained, inter
alia, serious head injuries involving bleeding between the brain and
outer meninges, serious injuries to the abdomen involving considerable
internal bleeding, as well as fractures of the neck and several ribs.
N016 was hospitalized in Oslo University Hospital from 22 July until
10 August, where he was in a coma for nearly two weeks. He underwent
lifesaving treatment and was operated on several times, and had to
have, inter alia, parts of the small intestine removed and a drain
tube inserted in the brain to relieve pressure after the haemorrhage.
Besides, N016 was treated for pneumonia he contracted while in the
coma. He was transferred to Sunnaas Hospital, where he stayed until 15
September 2011. Then he stayed at home for a month, before again being
hospitalized in Sunnaas for one month.
N017, born *.*.1956, works in the Ministry of
Transport and Communications, but was at Johan Nygaardsvold Square
between the H-block and Akersgata when the bomb exploded. He was
struck by flying objects and thrown across the square by a pressure
wave. N017 was taken to Oslo University Hospital, where extensive
fracture injuries and wounds to, inter alia , the head/face and to
both legs were ascertained. He sustained fractures of the shoulder
blade, collar bone and several ribs. Both lungs were punctured. The
right ankle was crushed, and the left leg subsequently had to be
amputated above the knee. He was kept in an induced coma for a few
weeks. Especially the left side of the body was badly affected, with
damaged muscles in the left arm. N017 was hospitalized in Oslo
University Hospital from 22 July until 25 August 2011, where he
underwent 10 operations before being transferred to Sunnaas Hospital
for further treatment. He stayed in Sunnaas Hospital for seven months.
4.1.4 Consequences for the central government
administration
Ingelin Killengreen, Secretary General of the
Ministry of Government Administration, Reform and Church Affairs,
stated at the trial that the terrorist attack had taken a heavy toll
on the work at the Office of the Prime Minister and in the affected
ministries. In addition to the loss of competent staff members, a
number of employees had to be placed on sick leaves because of
physical or psychological injuries that in part were quite serious.
Also for employees not at work on 22 July 2011 it has been a heavy
burden to have their workplace destroyed by a terrorist attack. Many
have subsequently experienced mental reactions with a sense of
fundamental uncertainty. The situation of the employees has not been
made any the easier by the enormous workload that arose in the wake of
the terrorist attack.
Work at the Office of the Prime Minister and the
affected ministries was further complicated as a consequence of the
enormous material damage caused by the bomb explosion. Comprehensive
rescue work was initiated immediately and all the ministries in the
Government District had to be evacuated. Timeconsuming efforts aimed
at setting up alternative office solutions for several thousand
employees also had to be initiated immediately. After having taken
care of its functions in the Prime Minister’s residence and in the
Government’s official residence for entertaining, the Office of the
Prime Minister was given some office premises at the Ministry of
Defence. For staff members of the various ministries and the
Government Administration Services, different solutions were provided
like home offices, rented premises and premises belonging to
government agencies. Contact between staff members was maintained
through the extensive use of courier cars, taxis and mobile phones.
Additionally, access to the ICT systems had to be reestablished and
security provisions applicable to information and premises had to be
implemented. The terrorist attack also led to reprioritizing of
daytoday tasks and to cases being delayed.
The efforts to obtain new premises have been an
ongoing process and it still remains to be decided whether the
buildings of the damaged Government District are to be used again. The
financial consequences are also considerable. Expenses covered in 2011
and 2012 are estimated at MNOK 600, while a new Government District
probably will cost between 5 and 10 billion NOK. It will take between
10 and 12 years to complete a new Government District.
4.2 Utøya Island
4.2.1 Introduction
After the defendant had lit the fuse of the bomb,
he walked to the getaway car parked at Hammersborg Square and drove
out of Oslo city. The defendant explained that he heard on the car
radio that four persons had died and that the H-block had not
collapsed. He thought then that the explosion had been a failure and
he decided to go through with part II of the planned terrorist attack;
to kill everybody attending the Norwegian Labour Youth (AUF) summer
camp at Utøya. The defendant had checked AUF’s website and he knew
that Gro Harlem Brundtland was going to visit Utøya on 22 July 2011.
The defendant drove to the Utøya pier on the
mainland side. The distance from this point to the ferry landing on
Utøya is nearly 650 metres. The vessel MS Thorbjørn is used for
transporting passengers. He stopped the car by the road leading down
to the pier, he took off his bulletproof vest and he put on a combat
vest with ammunition in the breast pockets. The defendant was still
wearing uniformlike pants with reflective ribbons and a sweater with
an emblem. Around his neck he hung a selfmade ID that was similar to
the one used by the police.
He then drove down to the ferry landing and parked
the car. At the ferry landing he talked to a camp participant who was
on duty as a security guard for the AUF on the mainland side that day.
The guard explained at the trial that the defendant drove slowly and
in a controlled manner down to the ferry landing and he did not notice
anything unusual about his behaviour. The defendant introduced himself
as a police officer, and at the request of the security guard he
exhibited his ID. The defendant said that he had come to secure the
Utøya island in the wake of the terrorist attack in Oslo.
The guard then called the shipmaster of MS
Thorbjørn and asked him to come and pick up a policeman on the
mainland side. In addition to the deckhand, the shipmaster’s
cohabitant N019 also came with the ferry when it crossed over to pick
up the defendant. The defendant brought with him a long box that he
said contained bombdetection equipment. The defendant also fetched a
rifle, which N019 asked him to cover. The rifle was then covered with
two plastic bags. The shipmaster did not react to the defendant’s
behaviour on the mainland side either, but he explained in court that
the defendant spoke fast and with determination and that he seemed
«rigid» while talking with N019 on board the vessel.
The defendant was transported to Utøya on board the
ferry MS Thorbjørn, and he arrived there at about 17:17 hours. He
brought with him a semiautomatic rifle, a pistol, ammunition for both
firearms, smoke grenades and other equipment.
There were 564 persons on the island of Utøya on 22
July 2011, most of whom were camp participants and members of the
Norwegian Labour Youth, the AUF. The youngest camp participant was 13
years old. Others present on the island were administrative staff and
their family members, including two children aged 10 and 11,
representatives of Norwegian People’s Aid and Norwegian and
international guests.
Until the defendant was apprehended by the police
at the Schoolhouse around 18:34 hours, he fired shots with his rifle
and pistol at a number of persons on the island, in the water and on
board boats. Police Superintendent Morten Støen from the National
Criminal Investigation Service, KRIPOS, stated that the investigation
had revealed that probably a total of 121 shots were fired with the
pistol and 176 shots with the rifle. The defendant shot and killed a
total of 67 persons on Utøya. In addition, two persons died of
injuries they sustained while fleeing. The defendant shot and injured
an additional 33 persons. Furthermore, a number of persons that were
on Utøya sustained physical injuries while fleeing. In their opening
statement, the prosecutors presented a list of 462 persons that were
on the island of Utøya, but who have not been mentioned by name in the
indictment. Several of them gave detailed and shocking statements at
the trial, and these have been taken into consideration in the Court’s
presentation of the course of events below.
Shortly before the defendant shot and killed his
first victims, the camp participants had received information about
the explosion in the Government District. Panic arose as they realised
shots were being fired on Utøya. Some hid indoors and in tents, while
others ran to find hiding places around on the island and down towards
the water’s edge. Several tried to reach the mainland by swimming or
using boats. Many observed in shock and disbelief that friends,
fiancés and a cohabitant were shot and killed. Heartbreaking scenes
unfolded as people hid, ran or swam for their lives while at the same
time trying to help and comfort each other. In some places, the living
and the dead lay side by side. Some were paralysed by fear as they
were being shot at, some pretended to be dead, while others begged for
their lives. Many hyperventilated. Telephone calls were made and text
messages were exchanged with family and friends, partly to ask for
help, partly to calm them down, and partly also to bid farewell. Many
called the police’s emergency phone number without getting through. In
the ensuing panic and chaos, a number of persons were physically
injured. Many had run off without shoes. The terrain was slippery
because of the rain and people stumbled and slid through the forest,
falling down steep slopes towards the water’s edge.
Many of the survivors sustained psychological
injuries and ailments of varying duration and seriousness. The Court
has heard accounts of anguish, restlessness, depression and low
spirits, apathy and inertia, nightmares and sleeplessness,
concentration problems and feelings of guilt. Many have had to
postpone their studies and some are on longterm sick leave. The quick
and brave efforts of local residents of Hole Municipality and of
camping tourists at Utvika Camping contributed towards limiting the
damage and the number of victims. Several of them have subsequently
been suffering from psychological aftereffects. According to the
prosecution’s list of those affected by the terrorist attacks that are
not named in the indictment, five persons assisting in the rescue
efforts were shot at. One of them gave evidence during the main
hearing about his and his wife’s rescue efforts. As already mentioned,
the expert witnesses Holen and Winje have explained the mental health
problems that may strike all those who were affected by the terrorist
acts on Utøya on 22 July 2011.
4.2.2 The murders
Below the Court shall examine each of the murders
in the order they appear in the indictment, which corresponds to the
assumed order in which they were committed on 22 July 2011. The two
persons who died of injuries sustained while fleeing are, as in the
indictment, mentioned last. In the indictment, a more extensive
description is given of the injuries the victims sustained as a
consequence of the shots. The descriptions below of where the victims
were found and their causes of death are based on the autopsy reports
and the evidence given by Police Superintendents Gøran Dyresveen and
Trond Sandsbråten, and by Professor Dr. Med. Torleiv Ole Rognum, Head
Physicians Kari Ormstad, Åshild Vege and Per Hoff-Olsen; the latter
four all belong to the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. The more
detailed description of the course of events is also based on witness
statements from the survivors. Time indications, which are exact
approximate times, have been taken directly from an overview of the
course of events submitted by the prosecutors during their opening
statement. Unless otherwise stated in connection with each individual
victim, those killed and injured were youth participating at the
summer camp of the Norwegian Labour Youth, the AUF.
After the defendant went on shore at the ferry
landing on Utøya, he walked in the direction of the Information
Building, hereinafter referred to as the Main Building, while the
shipmaster of MS Thorbjørn drove the defendant’s box up to the rear
side of the Main Building. Between the ferry landing and the Main
Building the defendant shot and killed two persons at about 17:21
hours.
N018, born *.*.1960, usually worked as a police
officer at the Police National Immigration Service, and he was a
volunteer civilian security guard at Utøya during the summer camp. He
shook hands with the defendant between the Main Building and the pier,
and was shortly afterwards shot from behind. He was hit by one shot to
the occiput, one shot to the neck, one to the right side of his back,
one shot to the left side of the lower back and one shot in his right
upper arm. The shot to the occiput caused immediate unconsciousness
and rapid death.
N019, born *.*.1966, she was the manager of AUF’s
management company Utøya AS and she had been working on Utøya for a
number of years. N019 too was between the Main Building and the pier
when she was shot. She was hit by three shots. One shot entered the
right vertex, one shot entered the right cheek and one shot entered
the back. The gunshot injuries to the head led to immediate death.
The defendant walked on past the Main Building in
the direction of the Cafe Building. Here, he shot a person near the
gravel road.
N020, born *.*.1967, was previously a security
officer and he had been a security guard at the summer camps on Utøya
for a number of years. He was between the Main Building and the Cafe
Building when she was shot five times. He was hit by one shot close to
the left ear, one shot to the left side of the abdomen, one shot to
the right side of the chest, one shot to the right side of the back
and one shot through the left cheek. The shot to the head caused
immediate unconsciousness. N020 died of the gunshot wounds.
Next, the defendant continued towards the Cafe
Building, where he shot and killed three persons outside the kiosk by
the east end of the Cafe Building around 17:23. At some point after
the defendant started shooting, one of the camp participants shouted
in exasperation from an open window, asking him what he was doing. The
defendant said he was a policeman who had come to protect them, which
would be easier if they gathered outside.
The following persons were killed outside the kiosk
by the Cafe Building:
N021, born *.*.1967, she worked for Norwegian
People’s Aid at Utøya. She was shot three times. She was hit by two
shots to the head and one in the back. The head injury led to
immediate unconsciousness and rapid death.
N022, born *.*.1981, was a painter by profession
and was at Utøya as a trade union representative. He had given a
presentation earlier that day. He was hit by two shots to the occiput
and one in the back. N022 died immediately of the gunshot injuries to
the head.
N023, born *.*.1986, was shot three times. He was
hit by two shots to the head and one in the back. N023 died of the
gunshot injuries to the head.
The defendant then walked south of the Cafe
Building, where he shot and killed two youth and shot and mortally
wounded two persons who later were found at the tent site. This
happened around 17:25.
The following persons were killed by the south side
of the Cafe Building:
N024, born *.*.1994, was in front of the Cafe
Building. She was shot twice to the head.
This happened after she had tried to talk sense
into the defendant. N024 died immediately of gunshot injuries to the
occiput.
N025, born *.*.1995, was in the vicinity of the
outdoor stage by the Cafe Building, and was shot two or three times.
He was hit by one shot to the head and one to the chest. N025 also had
an entry wound in the left forearm, just below the elbow. This injury
may have been caused by the projectile that passed through the head,
or it may have been a separate shot. N025 died immediately of the
gunshot injuries to the head and chest.
N026, born *.*.1996, was at the tent campby the
Cafe Building, and was shot three times. She was hit by one shot to
the left shoulder, one shot to the back of the right knee and one shot
to the front of the right calf. The gunshot injury in the back and the
crush injuries to the lungs and external haemorrhage are assumed to
have caused her death. According to V001’s witness statement, N026
remained alive for several hours after being shot. The Court assumes
this to be true.
N027, born *.*.1988, was at the lower part of the
tent campsouthwest of the Cafe Building, and was shot twice. He was
hit by one shot in the back and one to the occiput. The gunshot
injuries to the head caused immediate loss of consciousness. N027 died
the next day at Oslo University Hospital from the head injuries.
The defendant then entered the Little Hall in the
Cafe Building, where a number of persons had sought refuge. Some fled
out through doors and windows in the adjacent rooms, while others
remained in the Little Hall, where they sought refuge behind a piano
and a table. The defendant shot and killed seven youth in the Little
Hall from about 17:26.
The persons killed in the Little Hall were:
N028, born *.*.1995, was standing in the doorway
between the Little Hall and the Big
Hall of the Cafe Building and was shot three times.
She was hit by one shot to the head, one from the rear to her right
upper arm and one shot to her right thigh. N028 died immediately of
the gunshots injuries to the head.
N029, born *.*.1993, was standing outside the door
opening leading into the Big Hall and was shot six times. She was hit
by one shot to the right temple, one shot to the throat, one shot to
the right shoulder, one shot to the abdomen, one shot to the right
flank and one shot to the right upper arm. The shot to the head led to
immediate loss of consciousness and very rapid death.
The five others who were killed in the Little Hall
were located along the wall between the Little and Big Hall.
N030, born *.*.1993, was shot three, possibly four
times. She was hit by one shot to the head, one shot to the chest, one
shot to the right hip and possibly a grazing shot to the back of her
left lower leg. The head injury led to immediate loss of consciousness
and rapid death.
N031, born *.*.1994, was shot four times. She was
hit by two shots to the head, one shot to the back and one shot to the
left shoulder. N031 died immediately of the gunshot injuries to the
head and chest/abdomen.
N032, born *.*.1993, was shot three times – one
shot to the head, one shot to the thorax and one shot to the right
forearm. The gunshot injuries to the head led to immediate loss of
consciousness and very rapid death.
N033, born *.*.1994, was shot six times. He was hit
by one shot to the head, one shot to the chest, one shot to the right
shoulder, one shot below the right knee, one shot to the right upper
arm and one shot to the right arm. The head injuries led to immediate
loss of consciousness. N033 died of the gunshot injuries to the head
and chest.
N034, born *.*.1993, was shot eight times. He was
hit by two shots to the head, one shot to the right wrist, one shot to
the left arm, one shot to the left upper arm, one shot to the thorax,
one shot to the left leg and one shot to the left thigh. N034 died of
the gunshot injuries to the head and cervical vertebral column.
From the Little Hall, the defendant moved to the
Big Hall, which is located next door, where he shot and killed three
persons who had huddled together along the wall towards the Little
Hall and two persons along the windows. The time was now 17:27. Many
had at this point in time managed to escape from the Big Hall through
the corridor and adjacent rooms.
The persons killed in the Big Hall were:
N035, born *.*.1996, was shot three, possibly four
times. He was hit by two shots to the head and one shot to the thorax.
He may possibly have had a gunshot wound on the tip of his index and
middle fingers. N035 died immediately of the gunshot injuries to the
head.
N036, born *.*.1992, was shot three, possibly four
times. She was hit by one shot to the mouth, one shot to the throat,
one shot to the left shoulder and possibly one grazing shot to the
left side of the abdomen. The gunshot injuries to the head and throat
led to immediate loss of consciousness and very rapid death.
N037, born *.*.1995, was shot three times. She was
hit by two shots to the head and one shot to the right shoulder. The
gunshot wounds to the head led to immediate loss of consciousness and
very rapid death.
N038, born *.*.1984, was hit by three shots. He was
hit by one shot to the corner of his right eye, one shot to the right
nose wing and one to the left cheek. The gunshot wounds to the head
led to immediate loss of consciousness and rapid death.
N039, born *.*.1993, was shot twice, possibly three
times. She was hit by one shot to the right side of the forehead and
one shot to the right cheek. She also had an entry wound on the back
of her right hand. This shot may thereafter have entered her right
cheek. The injury to her head was immediately fatal.
The defendant then left the Cafe Building, but
reentered and shot and killed one person in the corridor by the door
leading into the Little Hall at approximately 17:28.
N040, born *.*.1994, was shot six times. He was hit
by one shot to the head, one shot to the left flank, one shot to the
left elbow, one shot to the right index finger, one shot to the left
buttock, one shot to the rear of the right thigh. The injury to the
head led immediately to loss of consciousness and rapid death.
After that, the defendant left the Cafe Building,
walked through the tent camp and out onto what is called Lovers’ Path.
Here he shot and killed 15 persons in the period from approximately
17:31 to 17:37. The first 10 killings took place along a fence behind
Lovers’ Path southwest of the tent camp, where 11 young people had
lain down in a cluster. Only one of them survived. The defendant tried
to confuse them by asking them where the perpetrator was.
The persons who were killed along the fence behind
Lovers’ Path southwest of the tent camp were:
N041, born *.*.1994, was shot twice. She was hit by
one shot to the throat which continued into the head, and one shot to
the left shoulder. N041 died immediately as a result of the gunshot
injuries through the head.
N042, born *.*.1990, was shot once in the head. He
died immediately of the gunshot injuries.
N043, born *.*.1993, was shot five times. He was
hit by two shots to the head, one shot to the throat, one shot to the
back and one shot to the left thigh. N043 died rapidly of the gunshot
injuries.
N044, born *.*.1994, was shot three times. She was
hit by one shot to the head, one shot under the skin of her back and
one shot to the right thigh. The gunshot injuries to the head led to
immediate loss of consciousness and rapid death.
N045, born *.*.1993, was shot three times. She was
hit by one shot to the head, one shot to the back and one shot through
her right hand. N045 died immediately of the gunshot injuries to the
head/throat/neck.
N046, born *.*.1994, was shot three times. She was
hit by one shot to the occiput, one shot to the right shoulder blade
and one shot to the left ankle. N046 died immediately of the gunshot
injuries to the head.
N047, born *.*.1993, was shot twice. He was hit by
one shot to the occiput and one shot to the right ankle. The gunshot
injuries to the head caused immediate loss of consciousness and rapid
death.
N048, born *.*.1992, was shot twice in the head.
The gunshot injuries to the head caused immediate loss of
consciousness and rapid death.
N049, born *.*.1992, was shot three times. He was
hit by two shots to the head and one shot to the neck. The gunshot
injuries to the head caused immediate loss of consciousness and rapid
death.
N050, born *.*.1993, was shot three times. She was
hit by two shots to the head and one shot to the left middle finger.
N050 died immediately of the gunshot injuries to the head.
Thereafter, the defendant walked a few metres
southward and shot youths who had hidden under the cliff between
Lovers’ Path and the shore. Of all those who had climbed or slid down
to hide on cliff ledges and along the edge of the water in this area,
five were killed.
The persons killed on or under the cliff between
Lovers’ Path and the shore were:
N051, born *.*.1994, was located at the water’s
edge between the cliff below Lovers’
Path and Naked Point. He was shot four times. He
was hit by two shots to the right flank, one grazing shot to the right
side of the back and one shot to the right side of the abdomen. N051
was found in the water, approximately 30 meters from the shore. N051
died immediately of the gunshot injuries to the chest.
N052, born *.*.1992, was shot twice. He was hit by
one shot to the back and one shot to the outer side of his right knee.
The gunshot injuries to the chest led to rapid loss of consciousness
and rapid death.
N053, born *.*.1995, was shot four times. She was
hit by one shot to the neck, one shot to the back, one shot to the
right flank and one shot to the left flank. N053 died rapidly of the
gunshot injuries to the neck and back.
N054, born *.*.1997, was shot twice in the left
shoulder. She sustained gunshot injuries to the chest that caused
immediate loss of consciousness and rapid death.
N055, born *.*.1995, was shot once in the right
groin and was possibly also hit by a grazing shot. The gunshot
injuries to the abdomen led to loss of consciousness and relatively
rapid death.
The defendant then walked toward South Point and
through the forest in the direction of what is called the Schoolhouse.
He shot and killed two persons in the forest east of the Schoolhouse
between 17:40 and 17:44.
The persons killed in the forest east of the
Schoolhouse were:
N056, born *.*.1994, was shot twice. N056 was hit
by one shot to the head and one shot to the abdomen. N056 died
immediately of the gunshot injuries to the head.
N057, born *.*.1996, was shot three times. He was
hit by two shots to the head and one to the throat. The head injuries
led to immediate loss of consciousness and rapid death.
Thereafter the defendant moved to the Schoolhouse
and fired two shots through the door without hitting any of the nearly
50 persons who were hiding in the building. He then moved on to the
pier below the Main Building where he fired shots at the boat Reiulf
carrying twelve escaping youths. The boat sustained gunshot damage,
but none of the youths were hit. When the defendant passed by the Main
Building on his way to the pier, he threw a smoke grenade at a window
in the Main Building in order to try and smoke out the persons hiding
there. When the pane failed to shatter, he threw another smoke grenade
at the building from the opposite side. This smoke grenade went off
inside the building, but no one came out. At the trial, the defendant
stated that he had also brought diesel with him in order to put fire
to the buildings on the island, but he had lost his lighter and was
therefore not able to carry out this part of the plan. Only later did
he find out that diesel is noncombustible.
The defendant then went back to the Cafe Building,
where he found a mobile phone and called the police for the first time
at approximately 18.00. He came through to the police and stated that
he was willing to give himself up. Contact was interrupted shortly
afterwards. The defendant then walked on to Stoltenberg Rock and
Bolsjevik Cove where many youths had gathered along the shore. Here he
shot and killed eight youths during the period from approximately
18:01 to 18:08.
The persons killed at Stoltenberg Rock were:
N058, born *.*.1992, was shot once in the back of
the head. The gunshot injuries to the head led to immediate loss of
consciousness and rapid death.
N059, born *.*.1993, was shot three times. He was
hit by two shots to the head and one to the back. The gunshot injuries
have in combination led to immediate loss of consciousness and rapid
death.
N060, born *.*.1993, was shot three times in the
head. The gunshot injuries to the head led to immediate loss of
consciousness and rapid death.
The persons killed at Bolsjevik Cove were:
N061, born *.*.1993, was shot once in the head.
N061 died immediately of the gunshot injury to the head.
N062, born *.*.1992, was shot three times. She was
hit by one shot to the throat/head, one shot to the back and one shot
to the left hand. N062 died immediately of the gunshot injury to the
throat/head.
N063, born *.*.1994, was shot three times. She was
hit by one shot to the head, one shot to the left shoulder and one
shot to the left breast. N063 died immediately of the gunshot injury
to the head.
N064, born *.*.1992, was shot four times. He was
hit by two shots to the back, one shot to the left buttock and one
shot through the left wrist. N064 died rapidly of the gunshot injury
to the chest.
N065, born *.*.1993, was shot three times. She was
hit by two shots to the head and one shot to the back. N065 died
immediately of the gunshot injury to the head and chest.
The defendant moved thereafter to the socalled
Pumphouse. Here too, many persons had gathered, whom he tried to
deceive by asking them if they had seen the perpetrator. The defendant
said he was a police officer, that the perpetrator was still on the
island and that he had a boat that could save them by taking them over
to the mainland. Some of the youths moved forward toward the defendant
and when one of the youths asked whether he could identify himself,
the defendant started firing. From approximately 18:13, the defendant
shot and killed 14 youths at the Pumphouse and in the lake water
beyond.
The persons killed by the Pumphouse were:
N066, born *.*.1992, was shot once in the head.
N066 died almost immediately from the gunshot injuries to the head.
N067, born *.*.1995, was shot once in the abdomen.
N067 died of haemorrhaging from the gunshot injuries to the abdomen.
She lost consciousness within a minute and died immediately
thereafter.
N068, born *.*.1993, was shot three times. He was
hit by one shot to the head, one to the back/chest and one to the left
hip. The head injuries caused immediate loss of consciousness and
rapid death.
N069, born *.*.1994, was shot at least three times,
possibly four times. He was hit by one shot to the left shoulder, one
to the lower back and one to the left flank. He was also injured by a
grazing shot to the left hand. The gunshot injuries to the throat
caused rapid loss of consciousness. N069 died of the gunshot injuries
to the chest and abdomen.
N070, born *.*.1990, was first shot in the right
leg by the café. She was subsequently shot twice at the Pumphouse –
one shot to the head and one through the left hand. N070 died
immediately of the gunshot injury to the head.
N071, born *.*.1995, was shot twice. He was hit by
one shot to the occiput and one to the back. The gunshot injuries to
the head and throat led to immediate loss of consciousness and rapid
death.
N072, born *.*.1991, was shot once in the head.
N072 died immediately of the gunshot injury to the head.
N073, born *.*.1992, was shot once in the head.
N073 died immediately of the gunshot injury to the head.
N074, born *.*.1991, was shot three times. She was
hit by one shot to the occiput, one grazing shot to the face where a
projectile fragment entered the thoracic cavity, and one shot to the
left elbow. The head injury caused immediate loss of consciousness and
rapid death.
N075, born *.*.1995, was shot three times. He was
hit by two shots to the head. He was also wounded in the right upper
arm. N075 died immediately of the gunshot wounds to the head.
N076, born *.*.1989, was shot four times. He was
hit by one shot to the back, one to the neck, a grazing shot to the
neck and another grazing shot to right side of the occiput. The shot
to the neck led to immediate loss of consciousness and rapid death.
N077, born *.*.1993, was shot three times. She was
hit by one shot to the throat, one to the back and one to the right
buttock. The gunshot injuries to the head and chest led to immediate
loss of consciousness and rapid death.
N078, born *.*.1983, was at the water’s edge below
the Pumphouse. He was shot twice in the head. The gunshot injuries to
the head led to immediate loss of consciousness and death.
N079, born *.*.1992, was shot once in the head. The
gunshot injury to the head led to immediate loss of consciousness and
fairly rapid death.
From the Pumphouse, the defendant moved to the West
Point where he fired at people and boats. At approximately 18:24 he
called and spoke to the police for the last time. During this call as
well, the defendant stated that he was willing to give himself up.
The defendant then walked to the South Point of
Utøya where many youths had gathered. Some were hiding in the bushes,
whereas others were preparing to swim over to the mainland. The
defendant shot and killed five youths at the water’s edge at
approximately 18:30.
These persons were killed at the water’s edge at
the South Point:
N080, born *.*.1988, was shot twice in the back.
N080 died of the gunshot injuries to the back. It took several minutes
before she died.
N081, born *.*.was shot three, possibly four times.
He was hit by one shot to the head and one through the throat. Two
shots went through the right arm and hand. One of the shots travelled
further into the head. N081 died immediately of the gunshot injuries
to the head.
N082, born *.*.1995, was shot once in the head. The
gunshot injury to the head led to immediate loss of consciousness and
rapid death.
N083, born *.*.1991, was shot at least once. He was
hit by one shot to the shoulder which continued into the head. The
other gunshot wound stemmed from a grazing shot to the right hand and
could have been caused by the shot to the shoulder. The gunshot
injuries to the head and throat led to immediate loss of consciousness
and rapid death.
N084, born *.*.1994, was shot three times. She was
hit by one shot to the neck, one to the chest and one to the left
buttock. N084 died of the gunshot injuries to the head and chest. The
head shot led to immediate loss of consciousness and rapid death.
From the South Point, the defendant walked toward
the Schoolhouse where he was arrested by the police at 18:34.
Two persons died while trying to escape from the
defendant’s shots.
N085, born *.*.1994, was among the persons fired at
outside the South Point the first time the defendant was there at
approximately 17:40. N085 was not hit, but drowned while attempting to
escape from the island by swimming away. He was found outside the
South Point at a depth of 6 metres. His respiratory tract was filled
with foam and he had heavily inflated lungs. He had no physical
injuries.
N086, born *.*.1994, died as a result of a fall
while attempting to escape between approximately 17:37 and 18:01. He
fell off a cliff at the island’s West Point and down into the water.
He sustained, inter alia, a fractured cranium, pelvic fracture, tear
in the right lung and spleen and comprehensive haemorrhaging in the
right thoracic cavity. The cause of death is not clear. The fall
injuries have not caused immediate death. Changes in his respiratory
tract could indicate drowning.
4.2.3 Attempted murders
In additions to those murdered, altogether 33
persons were hit and injured by gunshots. The defendant stated in
court that it had been his intention to kill all present on Utøya.
That this was indeed the intention of the defendant is also clear from
the statements of the injured and other witnesses who described his
determined conduct during the shooting. With a couple of exceptions,
the defendant shot at every person he saw.
The injured parties testified in court, with the
exception of N091 and N114. The descriptions below of how each person
was injured, and the extent of the injuries, are based upon the
testimonies and medical certificates of the injured parties. As
regards the injuries, the Court limits itself to accounting for the
number of gunshot injuries and the physical consequences of these
injuries. The Court also includes certain brief descriptions of the
defendant, provided by the injured parties. Selfevidently, many of the
aggrieved parties have also had considerable psychological reactions
following the terrorist act. We refer to the general discussion on
this matter in section 4.1.1.
The following persons were shot and injured by the
defendant:
N087 was born on *.*.1991. N087 stated that she was
in a tent at the tent camp when she understood somebody was shooting
on Utøya. She and her girlfriend ran out. While fleeing the
perpetrator, she was shot in the right forearm. She heard many shots;
there was panic and chaos around her. N087 and her girlfriend were
able to swim to the mainland. The water was icy cold, and she lost the
feeling in her legs and arms. On the mainland side, she was received
by ambulance personnel, and was quickly evacuated to an Esso gas
station nearby.
Several projectile fragments in the arm had to be
surgically removed. N087 has been on medical leave since February this
year, and is still receiving treatment.
N088 was born on *.*.1991. N088, like N087, was at
the tent camp when he heard gunshots. A group of youngsters came
running, shouting that he must run. He ran into the forest. He turned
around and saw an armed man in uniform emerge from the Cafe Building.
The man stood at the top of the hill, and it seemed as if he was
trying to gain an overview of what was going on. He did not talk to
anybody, he just stood there looking. Suddenly he raised the gun at
N088 and the others who were with him. N088 was hit once in the back,
near the right shoulder blade. He hid under a tree and was able to
call the emergency hotline 113. He was advised what to do, and was
later called by the police. The gunshot injury made it very difficult
to breathe, and he believes he fainted several times while lying under
the tree.
The gunshot caused fraction injuries to the
shoulder blade and in the 3rd and 4th rib. He got numerous projectile
fragments in the body, and the right lung was damaged. N088 was
hospitalized in Oslo University Hospital from 22 July until 1 August
2011. His lung function has been somewhat reduced by the gunshot
injury.
N089 was born on *.*.1992. N089 explained that she
was sitting on the outdoor stage near the tent camp when she heard
bangs. Many persons came running, saying there was a man firing shots.
A man in a police uniform came walking calmly down the path. At that
point in time, N089 was standing together with between 30 and 50
persons at the end of the tent camp. When several in that group walked
towards the defendant, he lifted the rifle and fired shots. N089 and
the others ran into the forest. She said that she heard many shots and
that bullets passed just above her head. While fleeing she was hit by
a bullet fragment in her right thigh, but the injury was not a serious
one. She did not notice that she had been hit and continued running,
first towards Lovers’ Path, then changing direction towards the South
Point. From there she started swimming together with several others.
When they had reached a certain distance from the shore, she saw the
defendant coming down to the South Point. The defendant shouted in a
loud voice that they should stop and return. She saw him aiming at
people standing there and she saw them fall. While N089 was swimming
she had an asthma attack, which made it very difficult for her to
breathe and consequently very difficult to swim. She vomited several
times while swimming. After about one hour in the water she was picked
up by a rowboat between 50 and 100 metres from the mainland and
brought into safety.
After the swim, N089 suffered an inflammation in
her hip and knee, obliging her to use crutches for one month. She
still has pains in her hip, knee and thigh.
N090 was born on *.*.1994. She was at the tent camp
when the defendant landed on Utøya. While she was fleeing the
shooting, she was shot at and hit by several bullet fragments in her
left lower leg. N090 ran to the South Point, where she undressed and
started swimming. Since the water was cold she changed her mind and
swam back to shore. She then ran to the pier below the Main Building,
where some persons were trying to start the vessel Reiulf. N090 jumped
into the water again and was pulled on board the boat. She saw a man
in a police uniform by the pier, but she did not immediately
understand that it was the perpetrator. There were some who shouted
that he was the perpetrator. The defendant fired shots at them and
several shots hit the boat. The defendant seemed calm and in no hurry.
N090 was admitted to Asker and Bærum Hospital for
about 24 hours, where she underwent surgical treatment with wound
toilet and removal of several fragments. She still has splinters in
her lower leg and it hurts if she uses her leg too much.
N091 was born on *.*.1996. N091 did not give
evidence in court. Her police statement relates that she was at the
tent camp when she realised shots were being fired on the island.
While she was fleeing the place, she was shot at and hit in her right
shoulder and upper arm. She was also shot in the right side of
abdomen, either simultaneously or somewhat later. The shot to the
shoulder caused fracturing of the shoulder blade and damage to the
right lung. The shot to the abdomen penetrated the subcutis and fatty
tissue.
N091 underwent hospital treatment for approximately
12 days from 22 July 2011 in, inter alia, Oslo University Hospital,
where she underwent surgery involving extensive wound toilet.
According to a medical certificate of 22 February 2012, the damage to
the shoulder area may entail permanent injury.
N092 was born on *.*.1995. N092 was at the tent
camp when she was shot while fleeing and she was hit in her right
forearm. The shot went through the arm. She stated that it felt like
being hit with a bat. She ran to the Schoolhouse and was taken into a
bedroom, where her wounds were examined by a person from Norwegian
People’s Aid. She hid under the bed. After a while, the defendant came
over to the Schoolhouse and fired shots through the window. Several of
those present screamed in fear. N092 thought the defendant was inside
the Schoolhouse and that he would enter the bedroom. She heard the
shots gradually become more distant.
N092 was admitted to Oslo University Hospital on 22
July 2011, where she underwent surgery including wound cleansing. She
was then transferred to a local hospital.
N093 was born on *.*.1994. She was sitting inside
the tent with two girlfriends when somebody shouted that they had to
get out. They walked down to a group that had gathered at the end of
the tent camp. Suddenly everybody started to run. Chaos ensued, and
several tripped over tent ropes. She did not see the defendant. N093
was shot while fleeing and she was shot in her left lower leg, but no
serious injury was caused. She ran to the South Point, where she took
off some clothes and started swimming. When she had come about 100
metres away from the beach she heard shots and saw a figure dressed in
dark clothes. It looked like he shot at a person on the beach. N093
was picked up by a boat and she received help when she was let off on
the mainland.
N094 was born on *.*.1989. She explained that she
was on the kitchen team and that she was in the Cafe Building doing
dishes when she heard a bang. She sought refuge in the Little Hall,
where she and several others hid behind a piano. N094 was shot at
least four times. The shots first hit her hands, then her jaw and then
her chest. N094 explained that she tried to keep her jaw in place. She
did not see the defendant, but she now knows that he stood over the
piano while he was shooting. He then moved in behind the piano and
continued firing at those lying there. N094 got up and ran out of the
building. There she collapsed. She was bleeding profusely from her
wounds and tried to stop the bleeding while crying out for help. Many
ran past her, looking scared. V002 came over to her and managed to
carry her over to the skateboard ramp between the Cafe Building and
the Pumphouse. There her wounds were dressed and the haemorrhages
stopped.
N094 was admitted to Oslo University Hospital and
she underwent surgical treatment of the jaw fracture and the wounds.
She underwent surgery a total of five times and she was discharged
from the hospital on 19 August 2011.
N095 was born on *.*.1994. She was in the Little
Hall in the Cafe Building when she was shot twice. One shot hit her
left knee and one shot hit her left shoulder. N095 explained that many
shots were fired in quick succession. Several persons were shot, and
one of them fell on top of N095. She lay with her eyes closed. The
shooting stopped and she heard the defendant reload. He then fired
controlled single shots. N095 did not hear the defendant say anything
in the Little Hall. When the defendant had gone out, she heard shouts
but did not understand the words. She first thought there were several
perpetrators shouting messages to each other, but she has later
thought that they were battle cries.
The shot that hit N095 in the knee entered on the
inside, continued through fat/muscles in the thigh and lodged under
the skin on the outside of the thigh. The shot to the shoulder did not
cause serious injuries. She was admitted to Asker and Bærum Hospital
on 22 July 2011, where she underwent surgical treatment for her leg
injury and removal of the projectile. The following day, N095 was
transferred to Telemark Hospital for further treatment. She was
discharged on 30 July 2011.
N096 was born on *.*.1993. He was in the Little
Hall in the Cafe Building, where he was shot once in the left foot and
once in the arm. The defendant fired many quick shots at the many
persons who were in the Little Hall. According to N096, the defendant
reloaded, and several of those who were in the same place as N096
tried to hide behind a piano and a table. The defendant then fired
shots at them. N096 let himself fall down and played dead. A friend of
his, N034, fell partially on top of N096. So did N033. Both N034 and
N033 were shot several times in the body before the defendant shot
them in the head, whereupon they died. After the defendant had shot
N034, he reloaded very calmly. Then he entered the Big Hall, where he
continued shooting.
The shot that hit N096 in the foot, entered on the
outside, fractured bones in the metatarsus and wound up in the heel
bone. He was admitted to Asker and Bærum Hospital on 22 July 2011,
where he underwent surgical treatment with wound toilet and removal of
a projectile. The following day, N096 was transferred to Østfold
Hospital for further treatment, where he was discharged on 2 August
2011. He has undergone a total of four operations. N096 still has a
lot of pain in his foot, and he takes painkillers almost every day.
N097 was born on *.*.1991. N097 was in the Little
Hall in the Cafe Building when he saw the defendant arriving, walking
calmly up the stairs to the Cafe Building. According to N097, the
defendant looked confused and his face seemed contorted with a mixture
of anger and joy. N097 was in the Little Hall with his female friend
N029. When the defendant entered the room, N097 pulled N029 down to
the floor, so that she lay beside him. She was killed.
N097 was shot once in his face with the pistol. The
shot entered the left side of the face, passing through the palate and
exiting under the right eye, causing, inter alia, crush injuries in
the eye socket and injury to the optic nerve. The projectile was
millimetres away from the main artery. After some critical hours, he
was taken to Oslo University Hospital by helicopter, where he
underwent several operations before being discharged on 1 August 2011.
He explained that the injury in the palate now has healed completely,
but that parts of his face are still numb. He has only 10 percent
vision left on his right eye, and he sometimes has double vision. He
has been on a 90 percent sick leave since 22 July 2011.
N098 was born on *.*.1990. N098 explained that she
was in the doorway between the Little Hall and the corridor of the
Cafe Building when she was shot at. She was hit by one shot to her
right knee. N098 has stated that after she was hit, she ran over to
the Dining Hall, where she jumped out the window. She then ran to the
Pumphouse, where two other persons dressed her wound. N098 tried to
run on, but she did not manage because of the gunshot injury to her
leg. According to N098’s statement, she was then carried some distance
by others on the island. However, the sound of shots was drawing
closer and she asked the others to run. As for herself, she lay down
on the ground and played dead. She saw the defendant five to ten
metres from where she lay, but the defendant continued walking without
doing any more to her. After a while, N098 was carried on board a boat
that arrived, and she was evacuated together with several others. The
shot that hit N098, entered on the outside of the knee, passed through
the femur andfractured it. N098 was admitted to Ringerike Hospital,
where the femoral fracture was stabilised. The following day she was
transferred to Østfold Hospital, where she underwent surgical
interventions including removal of the projectile, wound toilet and
treatment of the femoral fracture. She was discharged on 31 July 2011.
She is to undergo another surgery in the autumn of 2012 to remove a
plate in her leg.
N099 was born on *.*.1992. N099 has explained that
he was in the Big Hall in the Cafe Building when he was shot. Next, he
fled the building. He was unaware that he had been shot until he met
someone who told him so. Because of the gunshot injuries it became
increasingly difficult to walk, but he received help from three other
persons and he ended up at the South Point. N099 has stated that while
he was sitting there, the defendant came and asked with a calm, kind
voice: «Have you seen him?» N099 perceived this as the defendant
trying to trick them into believing that he was a police officer
looking for the perpetrator.
N099 chose to hurl himself into the water. He does
not know how to swim, but he managed to move 2 or 3 metres away under
water. He saw projectiles strike around him. When he surfaced he saw
blood around him, and he believes he was hit by bullets while he was
in the water. He managed to get over to a rock, where he hid until he
was saved.
N099 was hit in both thighs and the right ankle.
The bullets caused gunshot wounds, and N099 was admitted to Ringerike
Hospital from 22 to 25 July 2011. He underwent surgery twice, were
soft tissue and a projectile fragment were removed from his right
thigh and the gunshot wounds were cleaned and sutured.
N100 was born on *.*.1992. N100 explained that
after the information meeting concerning the explosion in the
Government District, she sat down in a corner of the Big Hall to
charge her mobile phone. She sat together with N035 and N036. N100
spotted the defendant, who shot at them. All three were hit. N035 and
N036 were killed. N100 was shot in the neck, left upper arm and left
little finger. As a consequence of the shots she was thrown backwards.
N100 has testified that N036 ended up lying on top of her, and that
she understood that N036 was dead.
The shot to the throat caused the fracturing of the
3rd and 4th cervical vertebrae and damage to the spinal cord, as well
as extensive tissue damage. The shot to the upper arm led to extensive
fracture injuries. She was admitted to Oslo University Hospital on 22
July, where she was operated on several times for fixation of the
cervical fracture, frame fixation of the left upper arm and partial
amputation of the left little finger, in addition to wound toilet.
N100 was transferred to St. Olav’s Hospital on 15 August, where she
was hospitalised until 30 November 2011. Due to the internal fixation
of the neck with a titanium plate, her throat is more constricted. She
has sustained permanent damage to the spinal cord and permanent nerve
damage in the hand. She suffers from spasms in the legs and in one
arm. She can not run. If she sits down for a while, she has difficulty
walking because the muscles tighten.
N101 was born *.*.1994. N101 stated that she was on
Lovers’ Path and was shot once in the left side of the head. N101 was
the only one in a group of eleven people who survived. They had lain
down next to each another and played dead. N101 was holding the hand
of her best friend N044 when the defendant came and shot them one by
one. N101 explained that she noticed that her friend was killed. After
a while, N101 managed to drag herself into the forest. There she met
V003, who helped her on her way. Finally, they reached the socalled
Rock Tent, which they entered after V003 had checked that it was
empty. V003 went off to find some bandages to dress N101’s wounds
with. N101 heard shots while V003 was gone and for a while she thought
that V003 had been killed. However, V003 returned with bandages and
dressed N101’s wounds. N101 explained that she then saw some dark
shoes and dark trousers pass by outside the tent and that she
recognised the defendant’s legs. After a while a policeman entered the
tent. N101 saw that the uniform was different, but nevertheless
thought they would be killed. The policeman reassured them. He stepped
outside and returned with another policeman plus an injured boy. They
had to wait in the tent for a while because the area had not been
secured.
The shot that hit N101 caused scalp lesions and a
cerebral haemorrhage. N101 was hospitalised in Ringerike Hospital,
Oslo University Hospital and Vestfold Hospital from 22 to 25 July
2011.
N102 was born *.*.1993. N102 stated that she was
standing by the Toilet and Shower Block when somebody came running
past and said that there was shooting on the island. N102 then ran
along Lovers’ Path and tried to hide on a cliff ledge below the path.
She was nevertheless shot by the defendant, at least once. As a result
of the shot or shots, she was thrown off the ledge where she was
lying. N102 explained that she hyperventilated and that it felt as if
her body was swelling up. Her legs did not obey her, but she managed
to pull herself down to some bushes, after which she fell down into
the water. Gradually, she developed severe hypothermia, felt nauseous
and vomited blood. She was finally helped out of the water and was
later transported off the island.
One shot entered the lower back, damaging, inter
alia, the left kidney and the pancreas tail, colon and spleen. She was
initially admitted and operated on in Drammen Hospital, where, inter
alia, the left kidney was removed and the hole in the colon repaired.
She was thereafter transferred to Oslo University Hospital on 24 July
for new operations. In addition to the abovementioned abdominal
injuries, she sustained extensive injuries to the nerve roots of the
lumbar back, involving paralysis of musculature, especially in the
left thigh. Following discharge on 18 August, N102 was transferred to
Sunnaas Hospital for further treatment. She still uses crutches and
has strong pains in the left leg.
N103 was born *.*.1993. Hanssen stated that he and
his 14-year old brother were in the tent camp when they realised that
shots were being fired on Utøya Island. They ran off and hid under a
cliff ledge below Lovers’ Path. There were about ten people there when
they first arrived, but more kept coming. N103 was shot and he fell
down to the edge of the water. While he was lying there, he was shot
again. His brother managed to get away without being shot.
N103 was hit by five shots – in the head, left
shoulder region, left hand, thigh and right forearm. The shot to the
head entered the right side and caused extensive injuries, involving
an open cranial fracture and damaged brain tissue, in addition to
damage to the right eye and adjacent bone structure. He has lost
vision in his right eye and uses an ocular prosthesis. The shot to the
shoulder region shattered the shoulder joint and damaged the nerves
leading into the left arm. The shot to the left hand caused extensive
injuries and resulted in the amputation of three fingers. N103 was
admitted to Oslo University Hospital on 22 July 2011, where he
underwent intensive treatment and was operated on numerous times
before being transferred to Sunnaas Hospital on 15 August 2011 for
further treatment.
N104 was born *.*.1992. N104 stated that she was on
her way to the Cafe Building when she heard shots. First she hid
inside a tent and then ran over to the «Troms County camp». Those who
had gathered there were very uncertain about what was happening, so
she ran off into the forest. There she met N091 who had been shot.
While she was pulling N091 along, she saw N027 lying on the ground. He
was breathing but she was not able to establish contact with him. She
met V004, who then took care of N091. N104 then went to hide under the
cliff ledge near Lovers’ Path. While she was lying there, she swapped
places with V005. As N104 looked up, she saw the defendant. He shot
her in the stomach. N104 explained that it felt as if the stomach
exploded. She moved towards the edge of the water and was then shot in
the arm. Nevertheless, she managed to move forward and hid sitting
down against the cliff at the water’s edge.
N104 was hit in the stomach, right elbow/upper arm,
right knee region and right part of the thoracic wall. The shot to the
stomach damaged, inter alia, the colon, small intestine and abdominal
wall. The shot to the elbow/upper arm caused extensive soft tissue
damage and the shot to the knee damaged tissue, ligaments and the
joint capsule. She was initially admitted to and underwent emergency
surgery at Ringerike Hospital, where, inter alia, a portion of the
colon was removed. She was thereafter transferred to Oslo University
Hospital on 23 July 2011, where she underwent several operations to,
inter alia, remove the right part of the colon and a portion of the
small intestine. Upon discharge on 22 August, N104 was transferred to
the University Hospital of North Norway, where she was hospitalised
until 29 August 2011.
N105 was born *.*.1993. N105 stated that he saw the
defendant walk by the Cafe building and that the defendant shot a
person three times. N105 ran away with N051 and V006. They were hiding
at the edge of the water below Lovers’ Path.
N105 was shot at and was hit in the right flank. A
smaller projectile fragment entered the upper right part of the
stomach, without causing serious injuries.
N106 was born *.*.1994. She stated that she was on
Utøya Island with her 14-months younger sister, N037. Her sister was
killed. N106 was in the tent at the tent camp when she heard gunshots.
She ran down to the cliff below Lovers’ Path, where she was shot
twice.
N106 was shot once in the stomach and also
sustained a 10-cm long wound to the inside of her right upper arm. She
sustained injuries to the right lung and below the right should blade,
fracturing of two ribs and a number of projectile fragments in the
thoracic wall and flank on the right side. N106 was admitted to Oslo
University Hospital on 22 July, where she was operated on seven times
and was discharged on 10 August 2011. She still has pains in the
forearm.
N107 was born *.*.1996. N107 stated that she was
with some other people from Troms County in the tent camp when they
heard gunshots. N107 too ran to the cliff below Lovers’ Path.
Initially, she was lying under a ledge, but when the gunshots came
nearer, she inched down towards the edge of the water. There she was
shot a total of four or five times.
N107 was hit in the abdomen, throat region and both
thighs. The shot to the abdomen led to massive bleeding, and parts of
the small intestine and colon later had to be removed. The shot to the
throat necessitated the removal of parts of the musculature between
the shoulder and back and she had to have skin grafts. The gunshot
injuries to the thighs necessitated the removal of muscle mass, 400
grams from the left thigh and 200 grams from the right. She was
hospitalised in Oslo University Hospital from 22 July to 16 August and
was operated on six times. N107 was thereafter transferred to the
University Hospital of North Norway from 26 August to 13 September for
further treatment.
N108 was born *.*.1994. N108 stated that she was
standing in front of the Cafe Building, where she met a friend, when
she heard several bangs. They ran to Lovers’ Path, where N108 then hid
under the cliff ledge below the path. She was shot at least twice.
The gunshots entered the right arm causing a
relatively large open wound on the forearm and two wounds on the upper
arm. N108 was hospitalised in Ringerike Hospital from 22 to 24 July
2011, where she underwent surgical treatment, involving, inter alia,
wound toilet and the removal of projectile fragments. She was
thereafter transferred to the University Hospital of North Norway,
where she was hospitalised for two weeks.
N109 was born *.*.1992. N109 explained that he was
in the barn near the Main Building when he heard bangs and shouting
outside. He went outside and saw one person being shot. N109 then ran
away along with several others. He turned around and saw the defendant
continue forward walking calmly and controlled. N109 ran to the tent
camp, where several others from Troms AUF were standing around. N109
then saw the defendant shoot one person in a guard’s uniform. Those
who were standing there panicked, and N109 ran into the forest and up
to Lovers’ Path. He heard numerous gunshots which kept coming closer.
He saw a girl who was shot several times in the back. He realised that
the person he saw wearing a police uniform was the perpetrator. N109
ran until he passed out and woke up at the edge of the water.
N109 was shot once below the left knee cap. As a
result of the fall, he also sustained a fracture of the left eye
socket. The gunshot gave rise to an open fracture of the tibia,
extensive soft tissue damage and permanent nerve damage in the lower
leg. He was admitted to Ringerike Hospital on 22 July where he
underwent surgery to, inter alia, mount an external fixation to
stabilise the tibia fracture. On the following day, N109 was
transferred to the University Hospital of North Norway, where he
underwent surgery to treat the eye socket injury, fracture injuries in
the leg and wound toilet.
N110 was born *.*.1995. N110 stated that she was in
the Cafe Building when she heard bangs. She ran to the Pumphouse and
threw herself into the water, where she was shot once in the right
part of the chest. The gunshot entered the right thoracic cavity and
penetrated the lung.
N110 was admitted to Ringerike Hospital on 22 July
2011, where an accumulation of air and blood in the thoracic cavity
was ascertained. She was thereafter transferred to Oslo University
Hospital, where she underwent surgery to treat the wounds in the
chest, as well as to remove foreign bodies from the face. N110 was
discharged on 4 August 2011. She has spontaneous chest pains. The
projectile is too close to the spinal cord to be removed and is
consequently still lodged in the chest. She has reduced lung capacity.
N111 was born on *.*.1991. N111 stated that he was
in the Cafe Building when he heard gunshots. He ran outside, down a
slope, and over to the Pumphouse. There he hid together with several
other people. The defendant came towards them, saying he was from the
police, and that the perpetrator had not been caught, and that a boat
was waiting at the pier to evacuate them. N111 and others asked the
defendant to show his badge. According to N111, no more than one
minute passed before the defendant started shooting.
N111 was shot three times, in the right and left
thighs and the left part of the scrotum. The gunshots caused three
major wounds, involving extensive tissue damage. He was admitted to
Ringerike Hospital on 22 July and transferred to Stavanger University
Hospital on the following day. N111 was operated on several times,
inter alia, to remove projectile fragments, for wound toilet and skin
transplants, prior to discharge on 17 August 2011.
N112 was born on *.*.1990. N112 stated that he was
in the Cafe Building when he heard gunshots. He saw through the
windows that people were running towards the tent camp, and that one
person was shot and fell down. N112 saw the defendant walk calmly.
When shots were fired at the windows, N112 ran outside and ended up at
the Pumphouse with others. The defendant came there and said he was
from the police and that boats would arrive to evacuate them. N112
doubted whether the defendant was a police officer, due to what he had
seen from the Cafe Building. Some people asked the defendant to show
his badge. One person, who walked towards the defendant, was shot. He
also saw the defendant shooting other people in the head. N112 tried
to hide and to protect himself by putting his arms over his head, but
was shot twice. The defendant then walked a little bit away, but soon
returned. N112 was breathing hard, so the defendant understood that he
was alive. He was then shot for the third time. After that he held his
breath for the defendant to believe that he was dead. Once the
defendant had left, N112 called for help. Nobody responded; all around
him were dead.
The gunshots hit N112 in the left shoulder, left
thigh and in the abdomen. The shot injuries in the shoulder and thigh
necessitated the subsequent amputation of the arm and leg. The gunshot
to the abdomen caused damage to the stomach, liver, left lung and
heart. N112 was admitted to Ringerike Hospital on 22 July, where he
underwent emergency lifesaving treatment, and was then transferred to
Oslo University Hospital the same night. There, he underwent a series
of operations before being transferred to Sunnaas Hospital on 11
October 2011 for further treatment.
N113 was born on *.*.1995. N113 stated that he was
in the dining hall of the Cafe Building when he heard gunshots.
Together with others, he ran outside and down the slope behind the
Cafe Building. He first hid near the Pumphouse, before he waded along
the water’s edge in a group of about 30 people over to the West Point.
N113 then curled up in a ball on the ground, only partially hidden. He
heard a loud bang and heard a sharp zing in his head. He saw the water
turn red around him. The projectile had struck a rock next to him, and
N113 was hit by a number of projectile fragments, inter alia, in the
face, thigh, and knee. He was later taken away by a boat that arrived
on the site.
N113 was hospitalized in Oslo University Hospital
from 22 to 27 July 2011, where he underwent surgical removal of some
150 fragments from the face.
N114 was born on *.*.1996. N114 did not testify in
court. His statement to the police reads that he was in the vicinity
of the West Point. He was shot once in the left flank. According to
the medical certificate that was read out, the gunshot caused lesions
and projectile fragments in the pelvic area. N114 was admitted to Oslo
University Hospital on 22 July 2011 and underwent several wound
cleansing procedures under general anaesthesia.
N115 was born on *.*.1989. N115 explained that he
walked towards the Cafe Building. While standing there, he heard
bangs, but he did not understand they were gunshots. When he saw
several youth running, he walked towards the tent camp along the Cafe
Building. N115 saw the defendant come walking between the kiosk and
the forest. A girl walked towards the defendant, who raised his pistol
and shot her. She fell, and N115 ran through the tent camp and into
the forest. They were about 50 to 60 people running. Many of those who
ran, stumbled in the chaos, and the bullets whizzed past them. N115
arrived at the South Point, where he started to swim. He was swimming
with clothes and hiking boots on, and realized that he would not be
able to swim away from Utøya. Hence, he started to swim back, but had
trouble staying afloat. Since the water was shallow a long way out, he
touched bottom and was able to walk up. While standing in water up to
the hips, the defendant came walking and stopped 5–6 meters away from
N115. The defendant stood on a rock on the water’s edge while looking
out on the water, shouting that he was going to kill them all. His
face turned red while shouting, and his voice cracked. The defendant
shot at those who were swimming. The projectiles made water columns
when hitting the surface. The defendant turned to N115, who shouted
for him not to shoot. The defendant pointed his rifle at N115, but
just as it seemed that he was going to shoot, the defendant turned
around and walked away. He doesn’t know why the defendant did not
shoot him. N115 was able to come ashore and found his mobile phone. He
got into contact with the police at 17:59, and was told to stay
hidden, and that the police were on their way. N115 lay on the ground
with a jacket covering him when the defendant returned, shot all
around, and N115 was hit.
N115 was shot once with the pistol or rifle in the
left shoulder. He was admitted to Ringerike Hospital on 22 July 2011
and underwent surgery to remove, inter alia , damaged tissue and metal
fragments. He was transferred to Telemark Hospital on 24 July, where
he underwent several operations. N115 was discharged at the beginning
of August 2011.
N116 was born on *.*.1994. N116 was in the Cafe
Building when she heard gunshots. She was standing by a window in the
Big Hall and watched the defendant walk by outside. She stated that he
stopped and turned around. She was not certain whether he aimed and
shot, or whether he only pointed [the weapon]. Chaos broke out in the
Big Hall. N116 got out and ran down a steep slope. She ran to the
Pumphouse, where she and several others hid in the bushes. A group of
young people arrive, among them N116’s best friend N084. They ran
together on to the South Point. The defendant came and asked: «Have
you seen him, has he been around here?» The defendant seemed very
determined and as if he was in no hurry. When he talked to them, he
did not seem to have any interest in hearing the replies. Then the
defendant started to shoot. N116 was shot three times; in the right
forearm, right shoulder and right part of the face. She looked over at
N084 and understood that she was dead.
The shot to the face entered the jaw bone,
fracturing the angle of the lower jaw. The shot to the forearm gave
rise, inter alia, to an open crush fracture of both bone shafts and
extensive soft tissue damage, and the arm had to be amputated at the
elbow. The shot to the shoulder caused extensive soft tissue damage
and crush fracturing of the joint capsule of the humerus. N116 was
admitted to Ringerike Hospital on 22 July and thereafter transferred
to Oslo University Hospital, where she was hospitalised until 19
August 2011.
N117 was born on *.*.1993. N117 explained that she
was in the Big Hall when the shooting started on Utøya. She then ran
outside and down a slope in the direction of the Pumphouse. N117
suffers from asthma and got difficulties breathing. Several people
started to swim from the Pumphouse, but N117 and the people she was
standing with, decided not to swim for fear of drowning. They tried to
comfort each other. One of the other persons standing there was N080,
who was later killed at the water’s edge at the South Point. She
thinks she sat there for about one hour. When they heard the gunshots
approaching, the group started to run along the Lovers’ Path south
towards the Naked Point and the South Point. They passed a group of
approximately ten dead bodies that lay near a fence. Several times
during this run she had asthma attacks, and they stopped at the South
Point for fear that she would suffer more attacks. They sat down near
the water’s edge, and N117 saw a man, dressed in black, come towards
them. He came around the tree she lay up against, and shot her in the
arm and the face.
The shot to the face entered through the left
cheek, causing several fractures of the head/facial skeleton and
projectile fragments penetrated into the brain. N117 was admitted to
Oslo University Hospital on 22 July, where she underwent two
operations before being transferred to Sunnaas Hospital on 19 August
for further treatment.
N118 was born *.*.1993. N118 explained that she was
in the Big Hall when she heard several shots. She ran with other
people out on the Lovers’ Path and stopped in the slope below the
Lovers’ Path. She heard shots and saw several persons get hit. She ran
around the Lovers’ Path with a friend to hide. She finally ended up at
the South Point, where she sat down with other people in some bushes.
A small boy around the age of ten was there, terrified and screaming.
She tried to calm him down. The defendant arrived, and the group
scattered. N118 was shot in the right thigh, and then ran into the
water. While in the water, she saw the defendant talk to the little
boy.
The gunshot caused a wound and the accumulation of
projectile fragments in the thigh. N118 was admitted to Oslo
University Hospital on 22 July 2011 and underwent surgery, involving
wound treatment and wound toilet. On the following day, she was
transferred to Østfold Hospital, where she underwent two further
operations in the thigh, involving wound toilet, removal of projectile
fragments and skin grafting.
N119 was born *.*.1993. N119 explained that after
having been to the information meeting in the Big Hall, she heard
gunshots. When somebody called out that they should run, she and a
girlfriend ran to the Pumphouse. She sat there with others and they
tried to comfort each other. She then ran on to the South Point with
several others. On the Lovers’ Path, she passed several dead people
lying next to each other. At the South Point, she hid by some trees. A
little boy screamed that his daddy was killed. She saw the defendant
and thought that the police had arrived. Then she felt an explosion in
her stomach.
N119 was shot once in the left flank. The
projectile entered the abdomen, causing extensive damage to internal
organs, inter alia, the stomach, colon and one kidney. The kidney and
parts of the colon had to be removed. N119 was hospitalized in Oslo
University Hospital from 22 July to 12 August 2011, where she was
operated on several times.
It follows from the presentation above that the
defendant in objective terms has acted as described in counts I and II
of the indictment. The Court shall now proceed to discuss the
subjective requirements for punishment.
5. The Penal Code, section 147a first subsection
a) and b)
Count I of the indictment regarding the bomb in the
Government District concerns the violation of the Penal Code, section
147a first subsection a) and b). Count II of the indictment regarding
Utøya concerns the violation of the Penal Code, section 147a first
subsection b).
The Penal Code, section 147a first subsection a)
and b) is of the following tenor:
«Any criminal act mentioned in section 148, 151 a,
151 b first subsection, cf. third subsection, 152 second subsection,
152 a second subsection, 152 b, 153 first to third subsections, 153 a,
154, 223 second subsection, 224, 225 first or second subsection, 231,
cf.232, or 233, is considered to be a terrorist act and is punishable
by imprisonment for a termnot exceeding 21 years when such act has
been committed with the intention of a)seriously disrupting a function
of fundamental importance to society, such as legislative, executive
or judicial authority, power supply, safe supply of food or water, the
bank or monetary system or emergency medical services or disease
control, b)creating serious fear in a population, […]»
In other words, an act of terrorism consist of a
serious criminal act (the primary crime) in combination with an
intention described in paras. a) or b), in the preparatory works [of
the Penal Code] termed «terror intent», cf. Proposition to the
Odelsting (Ot.prop.) No. 61 (2001–2002) page 35. (The intention
described in para. c) is not of interest in the case at hand.) Terror
intent means that the ensuing damage was intentional, or that the
perpetrator considered it to be certain or preponderantly probable
that the primary crime would create the effects mentioned in paras. a)
or b). In the absence of any terror intent, the primary crimes will
still be punishable, but under the ordinary provisions of the Penal
Code.
The following is stated about the Penal Code,
section 147a first subsection a) in Ot.prop. No. 61 (2001–2002) page
93:
«The central delimitation lies in that the function
that is disrupted must be of fundamental importance to society, and in
that the intent must encompass disrupting this function seriously. The
criterion «seriously» establishes strict requirements in terms of
duration, scope and effects of the disruptions. A number of elements
must be included in the assessment; the size of the area affected by
the disruption, how many persons are affected, how large the economic
consequences of the act are, how lasting the effects are, and how
vital the fundamental function that is disrupted is. Lesser
disruptions are not sufficient.»
The following is stated about the Penal Code,
section 147a first subsection b) in Ot.prop. No. 61 (2001–2002) page
93:
«Not all acts of terrorism are committed to
seriously disrupt a function of fundamental importance to society, or
to compel someone as mentioned in para. c). Some acts of terrorism are
committed with the intention of creating serious fear in a population.
For instance, the attacks on the USA on 11 September 2001 hardly
fulfil the requirements under paras. a) or c), but there is no doubt
that the attacks created serious fear in the American population, and
that for this reason it is natural to characterise the attacks as acts
of terrorism.
The expression «a population» entails that a
population in another country as well as a population in Norway are
protected; moreover, this requirement may be fulfilled even if not the
entire population of a country is concerned, but only the population
of a certain region. Even an ethnic minority may make up «a
population» in a country or across national borders, like for instance
the Sami population. The Ministry emphasises that it takes a lot to
fulfil the requirements of para. b), cf. in particular the expression
«serious fear». In the assessment of whether the criteria are
fulfilled, it will be of significance, inter alia, whether the acts
take place in one or in several places, how serious their consequences
are or could have been, and what kind of objects the acts are aimed
at. Attacks against the supreme authorities of a country, or against
national symbols, may lead to the requirement of serious fear in a
population being fulfilled even if the acts are restricted to a
geographical area of limited size.»
The indictment makes reference to premeditated
murders (the Penal Code, section 233 first and second subsections) and
premeditated attempted murders (the Penal Code, section 233 first and
second subsections, cf. section 49), as well as explosion that may
easily lead to extensive destruction or loss of human life (the Penal
Code, section 148 first subsection first penalty alternative).
Consequently, the violations of these provisions are cited as the
primary crimes under the Penal Code, section147a.
In the Government District, the defendant killed
eight persons by means of an explosion. The defendant has admitted
having made a bomb with a strong explosive force, having placed it
inside the Government District and having lit the fuse. He has
furthermore admitted that he did this in order to make the H-block
collapse and to kill those inside the building. According to the
defendant’s statement, all ministry employees were «legitimate
targets». The defendant furthermore stated that he in advance had
accepted that also others than ministry employees would be killed.
There is no doubt that the defendant committed all
the murders in the Government District with premeditation. The bomb
blast was carefully planned and it was executed on the basis of a
carefully considered decision. Against this background, the Court
finds it has been proved that the guilt requirement pursuant to the
Penal Code’s section 233 first and second subsections and pursuant to
section 148 first subsection first penalty alternative is fulfilled as
regards count I of the indictment. Additionally, the Court finds that
in assessing the question of punishment, to which the Court shall
revert, it is clearly to be assumed that the crime has been committed
under especially aggravating circumstances. It follows from the
description under point 4.1.2 above that the murders were committed in
a particularly cruel way.
At Utøya, the defendant killed 69 persons. The
murders at Utøya were planned as a continuation of the plan to blast
the bomb in the Government District. According to the defendant’s
statement, several alternatives were considered. Utøya was chosen,
inter alia, because the participants at the summer camp according to
the defendant were «political activists» from the Labour Party’s youth
organisation, and consequently «legitimate targets». Many of those who
fell after having been hit by shots were then shot in the head at
pointblank range. The defendant himself described this as «followup
shots».
As regards N085 and N086, who died of drowning and
fall injuries, respectively, there is no doubt that the defendant was
aware that young people on Utøya would try to escape, and that he
wanted the injuries they would sustain during their escape to lead to
their death. The defendant has stated himself that his original plan
was to scare as many as possible into swimming so that they would
drown. He wanted, as he said, to use the water as a «weapon of mass
destruction».
There is no doubt that the defendant committed all
the murders at Utøya, including the murders on N085 and N086, with
premeditation. The Court makes reference to the fact that the murders
were thoroughly planned and were executed on the basis of a carefully
considered decision. Against this background, the Court finds it has
been proved that the guilt requirement pursuant to the Penal Code’s
section 233 first and second subsections is fulfilled as regards count
II of the indictment. Additionally, the Court finds that in assessing
the question of punishment, to which the Court shall revert, it is
clearly to be assumed that the crime has been committed under
especially aggravating circumstances. It follows from the description
under point 4.2.2 above that the murders were committed in a
particularly cruel way.
For the 9 persons who according to the indictment
were injured in the Government District and the 33 persons who were
injured at Utøya, the primary crime is attempted premeditated murder.
Considering the bomb’s explosive force and its location, it was
evident to the defendant that anyone being in the vicinity of the bomb
probably would be killed. Those injured at Utøya were shot by the
defendant. The defendant has stated that his intention was to kill as
many as possible in the Government District and everyone at Utøya. The
explosion and the murders had been thoroughly planned and the
attempted murders were executed on the basis of a carefully considered
decision. The Court finds there is no doubt that all the attempted
murders in the Government District and at Utøya were committed with
premeditation. Also the attempted murders were executed in a
particularly cruel way, and thus under especially aggravating
circumstances.
The Penal Code’s section 147a makes reference to
section 233 concerning murder, but it does not make reference to
section 49 concerning attempt. As to the attempted murders, which in
counts I and II of the indictment form part of the two continuous
crimes, several approaches are imaginable under criminal law. They may
be considered attempted murders outside the scope of the terrorism
provision (section 233, cf. section 49), as attempted terrorism (the
Penal Code, section 147a, cf. section 49), or as the primary crime of
consummate terrorism (the Penal Code, section 147a, cf. section 233,
cf. 49). Whether the prosecuting authority considered the attempted
murders as attempted terrorism or as a part of consummate terrorism,
was not stated clearly in the indictment until it was amended at the
trial. Following the amendment, the Court assumes that the indictment
concerns consummate terrorism through, inter alia, attempted murders.
During the trial, the defence had no remarks to such an application of
the law.
In the opinion of the Court, also attempted murder
can form part of the primary crimes of a terrorist act. It follows
from the Penal Code, section 49 first subsection, that the
punishability of an act, including violations of section 233,
originates when there is an attempt. A «criminal act» as mentioned in
the list in section 147a can thus be considered to exist also at the
experimental stage. It is furthermore evident from section 147a third
subsection that threats to commit such primary crimes as mentioned in
the first subsection, depending on circumstances, may constitute the
primary crime of an act of terrorism. Considering this, the
provision’s internal congruity would become poor if the same were not
to apply to attempts at such crimes.
The Court shall not discuss the issue of the
dividing line between a consummate act of terrorism on the basis of an
attempted primary crime and an attempted act of terrorism as such. In
any case, the case at hand concerns two consummate acts of terrorism
that also consist of consummate murders. Notwithstanding this, the
Court finds reason to note that the question of whether the attempted
murders constitute independent primary crimes under section 147a, is
of no significance to the question of guilt or the fixing of the
sentence. The attempted murders will in any case be covered by the
objective description of acts in the Penal Code, section 231, cf.
section 232, to which reference is also made in section 147a, or they
will also be aggravating circumstances in relation to the two acts of
terrorism, which even without the attempted murders merit the maximum
sentence under the law.
As regards the terror intent per se, the Court
notes that the bomb explosion in the Government District caused
serious disruptions of the function of the central government
administration. The Court makes reference to the presentation in point
4.1.4 concerning the consequences for the central government
administration. The defendant himself has stated that the aim of the
terrorist attack was to strike at the central government
administration and those working there. Against the above background,
there is no doubt that the defendant detonated the bomb in order to
seriously disrupt the function of the executive authority, cf. the
Penal Code, section 147a first subsection a).
For both terrorist attacks, the defendant’s
intention was additionally to create serious fear in the population,
cf. section 147a first subsection b). The defendant’s plan was not
only to kill members of the government, government employees and
politically active youth. As described in point 3.1 concerning the
defendant’s ideology, he wanted, inter alia, to provoke reactions to
radicalise the resistance against Muslim immigration in Norway and
Europe. His means for reaching his political goals was extreme
violence that affected many persons, and which through massive
attention in the media also was intended to create serious fear in the
population. There is no doubt that the defendant’s intention in
executing the terrorist attack on the Government District and on AUF’s
summer camp at Utøya also was to create fear in the population.
Against this background, the Court finds it has
been proved beyond any reasonable doubt that the defendant had such
terror intent as described in the Penal Code, section 147a first
subsection paras. a) and b) when attacking the Government District,
and as described in para. b) when attacking at Utøya.
The defendant has submitted that he must be
acquitted because of the principle of necessity, since he carried out
«preventive» attacks to obtain his political goals, presented above in
point 3.3.
As regards this submission, the Court briefly notes
that neither the provisions of the Penal Code concerning necessity nor
international human rights, which the defendant also invokes, allow
the murder of government employees, politically active youth or
others, to further extreme political goals. It is evident that this
submission cannot be accepted.
The Court now proceeds to discuss the issue of the
defendant’s criminal sanity.
6. Criminal sanity
6.1 Section 44 of the Penal Code and the
standard of proof
By an amendment to the Act of 17 January No. 11,
the rules in section 39 of the Penal Code concerning preventive
supervision of, inter alia, criminally insane offenders were replaced
by the rules for the transfer to compulsory mental health care and
preventive detention. At the same time, section 44 of the Penal Code
was given its current wording. The amendments entered into force on 1
January 2002. One of the amendments to section 44 was that the term
«insane», which covered both psychoses and mental retardation to a
high degree, was replaced by the term «psychotic». Section 44 of the
Penal Code concerning criminal sanity now has the following wording:
«A person who was psychotic or unconscious at the
time of committing the act shall not be liable to a penalty.
The same applies to a person who at the time of
committing the act was mentally retarded to a high degree.»
Being psychotic at the time of committing the act
will unconditionally exempt the person from punishment, regardless of
whether the offence is a result of the psychosis. This is often
referred to as the medical principle.
In the preparatory works of the new provision, the
Ministry describes the psychosis alternative under the then applicable
law in Proposition to the Odelsting No. 87 (1993–1994) on page 22 as
follows:
«When considering the type of conditions to be
considered as psychoses in the sense of the Penal Code, decisive
importance must be attached to the way in which psychiatry at any
given time defines the concept of psychosis. Today, psychiatrists
agree that the principal characteristic of a psychosis is that the
relationship to reality is significantly disturbed. The ability to
react adequately to ordinary impressions and influences is lacking.
The psychotic person often loses control over his thoughts, emotions
and actions. Intellectual functions, on the contrary, may be intact.
The dividing line between psychosis and other mental disorders is not
sharp.»
In September 1989, the Special Sanctions Committee,
a subcommittee of the Penal Code Committee, submitted its
recommendation for an amendment of the criminal insanity rules and
special sanctions. The recommendation was published in the Norwegian
Official Report NOU 1990:5. The Committee proposed that the term
«insanity» in section 44 of the Penal Code be replaced by the
following wording:
«A person who was psychotic at the time of
committing the act and hence unable to make a realistic assessment of
his relationship to the surrounding world shall not be liable to a
penalty.»
The committee’s further description of the
psychosis term is found in NOU 1990:5 on page 38, and reads as
follows:
«The key criterion of a psychosis is that the
ability to make a realistic assessment of one’s relationship to the
surrounding world is significantly impaired. There is general
agreement on this criterion.
The offender’s failing ability to make a realistic
assessment of his relationship to the surrounding world must be
relatively general, i.e. the impairment must include significant
aspects of reality for the offender to be declared psychotic. On the
other hand, an allencompassing failure of the ability to assess
reality is not necessarily required. It should also be mentioned that
a flawed perception of reality in a limited sector may, for the
patient, assume such dimensions and have such consequences for his
relationship to the surrounding world that it would be correct to
assess him as psychotic. In general terms, the crime itself should not
be decisive for a psychosis diagnosis.»
The Ministry adopted the proposal to replace the
term «insane» by the term «psychotic», but without the Special
Sanctions Committee’s suggested specification. In Proposition to the
Odelsting No. 87 (1993–1994) on page 28, this is explained as follows:
2
«Deciding the question of exemption from punishment
should depend as little as possible on the judge’s own discretion.
Conditions of criminal insanity must be described in a terminology
that is recognized in psychiatric science. The term «insanity» in
current legislation should therefore be replaced by «psychosis», which
in the Ministry’s view is the more precise and contemporary
designation for the mental disorders concerned.
The Ministry does not support the proposal of the
Special Sanctions Committee to specify in the text of the law what the
concept of psychosis entails. It must be expected that persons who are
to practice this provision, i.e. lawyers with the help of
psychiatrists, are aware of the characteristics of a psychotic state.
For them, any specification is unnecessary. However, people in general
probably know little about the characteristics of a psychosis. But for
them, a specification would, in the Ministry’s view, be confusing
rather than informative, since it is conceivable that there are
psychotic offenders who, to a greater or lesser degree, have the
ability to make realistic assessments.»
The amendment to the wording of section 44
specifies that this part of the Code’s rules on criminal insanity is
based on the psychiatric psychosis conditions. The psychiatric
diagnostic system, currently ICD-10 (International Statistical
Classification of Diseases, Injuries and Causes of Death), with which
Norway is obliged to comply under international agreements, will
therefore be material when evaluating sanity. Nevertheless, the Court
takes for a fact that the intention was never to amend the previous
state of law concerning the correlation between the legal and
psychiatric psychosis concepts.
In NOU 1990:5 page 42, the prevailing state of the
law is described as follows:
«When assessing whether a state is to be regarded
as «insanity» in the sense of section 44 of the Penal Code, forensic
psychiatrist are not formally bound by the guidelines set out in ICD
9. This involves an interpretation of the Penal Code’s legal concepts.
All the same, there is undoubtedly a close correlation between the
general psychiatric diagnostic system and forensic psychiatry.
Ordinarily, the use of concepts coincides.»
The Court does not need to consider the instances
where the diagnostic psychosis term differs from the legal term, such
as in the case of chronic psychoses caused by intoxication and
medication. Nor will the Court consider whether the diagnostic and the
legal diagnostic terms differ in the gray zone between psychoses and
other mental disorders. As discussed below, none of the expert
witnesses believe that the defendant was a borderline case, nor has
the Court taken that as its basis. The question in our case is, in
other words, whether the defendant was psychotic in a diagnostic – and
consequently also in a legal – sense when he committed the acts.
The District Court will now discuss the degree of
probability that must exist if the Court is to find the defendant
criminally sane, the socalled standard of proof.
The standard of proof in the Penal Code is not
statutory but is deduced from the Supreme Court’s practice. As far as
the evidentiary strength is concerned, the District Court relies on
the Supreme Court judgment included in the Supreme Court Law Reports
1979 page 143, where the following is stated on page 147:
«I agree with the appeal court judge in that the
same standards cannot be applied to the strength of the evidence as in
the question of whether there is evidence that a defendant has
committed the act as stated in the indictment. But I do not
necessarily agree with the judge in that a preponderance of
probability is sufficient. Should the forensic psychiatric expert
witnesses reach differing conclusions, the defendant should, in my
view, be exempted from punishment unless the court – i.e. the jury in
cases tried by the Court of Appeal – should find that there can be no
reasonable doubt that the defendant was criminally sane at the time of
committing the act. But the circumstance that the possibility of
insanity at the time of the act is mentioned in the forensic
psychiatric report is not sufficient for the defendant to be
considered criminally insane and hence exempt from punishment.»
The prosecution referred to a statement in the
Supreme Court Law Reports 1998 page 1945 (page 1947) about there being
only differences in nuance between the standards of proof related to
the various conditions of punishability. This decision concerned the
standard of proof for a quantity of imported drugs, and not for
criminal insanity. The general statement about the various conditions
of punishability was consequently not necessary to justify the outcome
of the case (obiter dictum), and is hence less important as a source
of law for assessing the standards of proof for criminal sanity.
However, legal scholars have in their books taken this to mean that
there «is no basis for any particular reduction in the standards of
proof» in case law, see Matningsdal and Bratholm: The Annotated Penal
Code («Straffeloven kommentarutgave»), 2nd edition, page 366.
In the decision included in the Supreme Court Law
Reports 2003 page 23, concerning the question of criminal sanity, the
Supreme Court reported in para. 13, the above cited formulation of the
standard of proof in the Supreme Court Law Reports 1979 page 143, but
does not mention the statement regarding the differences in nuance
from the Supreme Court Law Reports 1998 page 1945. As one can see from
paras. 16 and 17 of the ruling, the Court of Appeal found that there
was sufficient basis for deeming the defendant criminally sane despite
the fact that the expert witnesses with the approval of the Board of
Forensic Medicine under a «certain doubt» concluded that the defendant
was not insane at the time of committing the act. The Supreme Court
writes the following about the actual assessment of evidence in para.
18:
«I cannot see that the Court of Appeal has based
itself on any erroneous understanding of the evidentiary rules when
assessing whether A was criminally sane at the time of committing the
act. The Court has taken as its point of departure the judgment in
Supreme Court Law Reports 1979 page 143. On the basis of the forensic
psychiatric report, their statements before the Court of Appeal and
other evidence, the Court has, following a thorough discussion of A’s
criminal sanity, concluded, with a sufficient degree of certainty,
that she was not psychotic at the time of the act. […] The Court
attached importance to the expert witnesses’ conclusion, the premises
for the conclusion and their oral statements at the trial and compared
this with other evidence in the case. In light of the law and past
practice, no requirement for a more specific wording of the standard
of proof can be derived, see Supreme Court Law Reports 1979 page 143,
on page 147.»
In para. 14 of the ruling, the Supreme Court
moreover refers to the preparatory works of section 44 of the Penal
Code, in which the Proposition to the Odelsting No. 87 (1993–1994)
page 114–115 states as follows:
«If there is reasonable doubt as to the offender’s
criminal sanity, the Court must acquit him by virtue of the general
rules related to the burden of proof of the Penal Code. In practice,
somewhat weaker standards as to evidentiary strength are often applied
when it comes to the defendant’s criminal sanity than in respect of
other conditions of punishability. In consequence, the Ministry
concludes that the same requirements cannot be made in terms of
evidentiary strength for criminal sanity as for the circumstance of
whether the defendant has committed the act mentioned in the
indictment. On the other hand, a preponderance of probability for
criminal sanity would not necessarily be sufficient.»
When the [Norwegian] Parliament (the Storting)
discussed the bill concerning new criminal insanity rules, there was
broad agreement about retaining the unconditional exemption rule for
psychotic persons. However, the Parliament rejected the Government’s
proposal for a discretionary exemption for offenders with, inter alia,
other psychotic conditions. In the Recommendation to the Odelsting No.
34 (1996–1997) section 5.4, the grounds given are that «Exemption from
punishment should be reserved for conditions where there can be no
doubt about the basis for exemption». During the ensuing parliamentary
debate, too, representatives for the majority argued that the
exemption must be limited to «evidently», «clearly» or «indisputably»
psychotic persons, where no doubt exists about the grounds for
exemption from punishment. The Court interprets the Committee’s note
and the representatives’ arguments as statements concerning which
mental conditions that should justify exemption from punishment, and
not as statement about the standard of proof under section 44. The
Court refers to the fact that there was broad agreement that the then
applicable rules for criminal sanity had generally worked
satisfactorily, but that the most important problems were linked to
the borderline cases. The Court also refers to the fact that the above
cited Ministry statement about the standard of proof, taken from the
Supreme Court Law Reports 1979 page 143, was not refuted during the
parliamentary process. The Court believes that the statements are
under no condition sufficient to reverse a standard of proof
established by the courts. Nevertheless, the parliamentary process
indicates that section 44 must not be interpreted in a broader sense
to also include unclear borderline cases and complex psychotic
conditions.
The District Court finds there are good reasons
for such a lower standard of proof for criminal sanity. Though it is
true that punishment is an intended evil expressing society’s strong
reproach of a crime, such a reproach would presuppose the offender
to have criminal capacity. The sentence however also implicates an
element of atonement, giving the convicted the opportunity to
«settle his debts». In this perspective, the punishment is not
exclusively an evil, but also a road back to society. If the
standard of proof for criminal sanity is placed too high, this route
would be shut off to many offenders with true criminal capacity.
Besides, it is principally doubtful whether it is wise to bereave
offenders of criminal capacity, and hence also moral and legal
autonomy, by an unwarranted pathologization of their mind.
Furthermore, with respect to society and those directly affected by
a crime, the considerations to a fair retribution indicate that
criminals with an actual criminal capacity must be sentenced.
Certainly, the preparatory works of the new Penal Code of 2005 state
that retribution cannot be the purpose of the sentence, cf. the
Proposition to the Odelsting no. 90 (2003–2004) page 77.
Notwithstanding, the Court finds that the subjective conditions for
punishment, linking liability to guilt and criminal capacity, show
that penal law does not exclusively build upon utilitarian
considerations like prevention and renovation. The starting point of
the legislators that «anybody must be held responsible for their
acts», cf. the Recommendation to the Odelsting no. 34 (1996–1997),
point 5.4, appears to be based upon a wider approach to the purpose
of the punishment.
The Court further finds it unfortunate to transfer
offenders who most likely no longer have a genuine need for treatment,
to compulsory mental health care. It is true that a dangerous person
who is not (or no longer) psychotic may be transferred to an
institution under the correctional services «when particular reasons
speak in favour thereof», cf. Act of 2 July 1999 no. 62 on Mental
Health Care, Section 5–6. This possibility of transfer is nevertheless
restricted, cf. the Supreme Court Law Reports 2011 page 1043,
paragraph 27, and may only take place with the consent of the Court.
Dangerous persons may thus be kept in the mental health care for years
independently of the state of mind. On the other hand, as long as the
Penal Code section 39 does not have any requirements for the state of
mind at the moment of the judgment, it is not possible to safeguard
against this.
The defence has submitted that the standard of
proof must be lowered down towards the preponderance of probability if
the defendant himself, such as in this case, wishes to be found
criminally sane. In the enforcement of a penal sanction system, it is
difficult for the Court to see that any emphasis can be placed on the
wish of the defendant regarding the question of guilt. Equality before
the law is a basic principle in criminal justice, and the application
of law must not depend on such subjective aspects. Furthermore, a
certain standard of proof must nevertheless be established to ensure
that the wish of the defendant is not psychotically motivated. As the
prosecution has pointed out, we may also raise the question as to what
would be the consequence if the convicted later were to change his
mind.
The defence has further contended that the standard
of proof must be lowered in an equivalent manner if sentencing a
defendant to be transferred to compulsory mental health care might be
considered. The prosecution has maintained, inter alia, that the
procedural system in cases determined by a jury prevents such
differentiation. This is because the jury determines the question of
guilt before the professional judges and four of the members of the
jury determine the question of the reaction. Strictly speaking, it is
hence not possible to make an overall assessment encompassing the
question of criminal sanity and the question of transfer to compulsory
mental health care.
The Court has, in its determination of this case,
not found it necessary to assess whether the standard of proof needs
to be further lowered in the cases where transfer to compulsory mental
health care is considered. As will be evident in the following pages,
the Court regardless finds that the standard of proof for criminal
sanity, as worded most recently in the Supreme Court Law Reports 2003
page 23, is met.
Before the Court proceeds to treat the diagnostic
assessment and the remaining evidence, [we] remark that the standard
of proof applies to the overall result of the evidence, in other words
the very conclusion, and not to each individual factor of evidence,
cf. the Supreme Court Law Reports 2005 page 1353 paragraph 14.
6.2 The work and conclusions of the expert
witnesses
In the preparations to the proceedings, the
District Court appointed four expert witnesses, all specialists in
psychiatry, to assess the criminal sanity of the defendant. The expert
witnesses have had identical mandates, but have examined the defendant
at different times.
Torgeir Husby and Synne Sørheim were appointed on
28 July 2011. They submitted their forensic psychiatric report on 28
November 2011, in which they concluded that the defendant was
psychotic at the time of the acts and during the observation. The
Board of Forensic Medicine did not make any written remarks to the
report of these psychiatrists.
Agnar Aspaas and Terje Tørrissen were appointed on
13 January 2012. In the court order of 10 February 2012, the Court
decided, upon request from the psychiatrists, to submit the defendant
to psychiatric examination for up to four weeks, cf. the Criminal
Procedure Act, section 167. Aspaas and Tørrissen submitted their
forensic psychiatric report on 10 April 2012, in which they concluded
that the defendant was not psychotic at the time of the acts or during
the observation. The believed the defendant suffers from a dissocial
and narcissistic personality disorder. In several letters, the Board
of Forensic Medicine has raised questions relating to the report of
these psychiatrists, and the expert witnesses submitted a
supplementary report on 30 April 2012 upon request from the board.
All four expert witnesses were present during the
trial and testified in court, maintaining their previous conclusions.
Representatives of the Board of Forensic Medicine also testified. When
the courtappointed expert witnesses reach different conclusions, the
Court needs to
go into the premises of the forensic psychiatric
reports and assess these against the oral statements of the expert
witnesses and the remaining evidence presented during the trial, cf.
the Supreme Court Law Reports 2003 page 23, paragraph 18, cited above.
In other words, it is not sufficient to refer to that there is
disagreement between the expert witnesses, and then conclude that the
standard of proof is not met. In NOU (Green paper) 1990:5, page 47,
the following is stated about the responsibility of the court when the
expert witnesses disagree:
«When the medical principle is retained, it will in
reality still be the psychiatrists’ task to determine which offenders
are exempt from criminal liability. But the principle whereby the
court is formally free, in relation to the experts, is retained also
after the committee’s proposal. In practice, the court’s own view will
assume particular importance in those cases where the experts
disagree. »
When making its assessment, the Court applies this
view.
6.3 On psychosis in general
Below, the Court shall discuss the question of
whether the defendant was psychotic at the time of the criminal acts,
using the assessments of the expert witnesses as a starting point. The
experts Husby and Sørheim found that the defendant suffers from
paranoid schizophrenia, and the Court will first assess this diagnosis
in section 6.4. Next, in section 6.5, the diagnosis of paranoid
psychosis will be considered, as the other psychotic disorder
discussed by the psychiatrists. The Court will, in section 6.6, give
an account of examinations made by treating and advisory health
personnel. These examinations are relevant to both diagnoses. Finally,
in point 6.7, the compulsory observation is assessed in conjunction
with the Criminal Procedure Act section 167, before the Court makes
its overall assessment in point 6.8.
As it transpires from the above review of the legal
aspects, the psychiatric diagnosis system holds a central position in
the assessment of criminal sanity.
The expert witnesses Aspaas and Tørrissen provide
an instructive summary of the central symptoms of psychosis in point
21.4 of their report. This is cited below, except for the part on
hallucinations, which are not relevant in our case:
«Psychoses in general
Psychosis is understood as a state involving an
impaired, erroneous or failing perception or interpretation of
reality. The principal symptoms of a psychosis are hallucinations,
delusions and disturbing thought processes, characterized as formal
thought disturbances. A psychotic disorder is often accompanied by
socalled negative symptoms, i.e. functional impairment. Below follows
a short description of these symptoms.
– Hallucinations…
– Delusions are ideas about matters that are
contrary to what is perceived as real byothers. Examples of delusions
are ideas of being under surveillance or being persecuted, that the
body is decaying or changing, or entirely unrealistic thoughts about
own talents, competence, influence, prosperity, etc. The latter are
called psychotic delusions of grandeur or grandiose delusions. Bizarre
delusions designate psychotic ideas about phenomena that are not
physically possible, e.g. that one’s thoughts are broadcast, that
thoughts are governed by extraneous forces or that emotions and
impulses are forced upon one from outside. When assessing delusions,
it is necessary to take into consideration what are generally accepted
ideas and thoughts in the culture, subculture or environment in which
a person lives.
– Formal thought disturbances designate phenomena
related to thought processes. Examples of this are slow thinking
(latency), exaggerated vagueness, thoughts coming to a stop or
becoming illogical or incoherent, or that thoughts follow arbitrary
associations and hence give no meaning. «Neologisms» are a form of
thought disturbance designating the coining of new words –
incomprehensible words that a person invents himself and which do not
exist in the normal vocabulary. Compound words are common in Norwegian
and are not normally considered as neologisms.
– Negative symptoms are used to designate various
forms of functional impairment which often accompany psychotic
disorders. Loss of initiative, passivity, blunted or inadequate
emotional life, impaired ability for interpersonal contact, lack of
interest or drive, social withdrawal and aimless behaviour are
examples of negative symptoms. Often, neglect will be observed in
other areas as well, such as personal hygiene, nutrition, control of
finances, ability to care for oneself and nextofkin, etc.
– Depersonalization and derealisation are terms
designating that a person has changed his perception of himself or
stands outside himself or sees his surroundings or the world as
changed. This can occur in certain psychoses, but can also be seen
under severe stress or in the face of serious danger, especially in
vulnerable people.»Before the Court goes into detail on the diagnostic
criteria of the psychotic states in question, we include Husby and
Sørheim’s summary of what they have considered to be the various
delusions of the defendant. What follows is from pages 225 to 226 in
their report:«The observee believes that he is by prescriptive right
the ideological leader of the organization Knights Templar, which has
the mandate to be a military order as well as a martyr organization,
military tribunal, judge, jury and executioner. He believes that he is
responsible for determining who is to live and die in Norway. This
responsibility is perceived as real, but also a heavy burden. These
phenomena are regarded as bizarre, grandiose delusions.
He believes that a significant portion of the
population (several hundred thousand) support the reported acts. He
believes that his love is overdeveloped. He believes he is a pioneer
in a European civil war. He compares his situation with historical war
heroes such as Tsar Nicholas and Queen Isabelle. These phenomena are
regarded as grandiose delusions.
The observee believes that it is likely, albeit
with somewhat varying estimated degrees of likelihood, that he could
be the new regent in Norway following a coup d’état and power
takeover. If he becomes the new regent, he will take the name Sigurd
the Crusader the Second. He believes that he has donated five million
kroner to the fight. He believes he could be given responsibility for
deporting several hundreds of thousands of Muslims to ports in North
Africa. These phenomena are regarded as grandiose delusions.
The observee believes that there is an ongoing
process of ethnic cleansing in Norway
and that he lives in fear of being killed. He
believes that a third nuclear world war could be triggered as a result
of the events that he sees himself a part of. He believes that there
is an ongoing civil war in the country. The observee is working with
proposals for solutions aimed at improving our Norwegian ethnic,
genetic pool, eradicating disease and reducing the divorce rate. He
foresees reservations (for «indigenous Norwegians»), DNA testing and
mass childbirth factories. These ideas are considered as elements of a
bizarre, paranoid delusional system.
The observee believes that the Glücksburgs (the
Norwegian and European royal families) will be removed by a revolution
in 2020. As an alternative to recruiting a new regent from the
Guardian Council, DNA testing will be made of the remains of Olav the
Holy or Harald Hard Rule. Thereafter, the Norwegian population will be
DNA tested in order to find the person with the greatest genetic
similarity, who could then be instated as the country’s new regent.
These ideas are considered as elements of a bizarre, paranoid
delusional system.»
On pages 227 to 228, they have included the
following passage from the defendant’s statement made at Utøya:
«In his statement to the police at 20:15 on
22.07.2011, the observee states that he is a commander, and he goes on
to say: We are crusaders and nationalists . The observee states that
the reported acts committed the same day are the manifestations of the
beginning of a very bloody civil war. He claims, in the same
statement, that the Knights Templar Norway have given him the
authority to execute A, B and C traitors and that the organization is
the highest military, police and political authority in Norway. These
symptoms are considered to be grandiose and paranoid delusions.»
The experts Husby and Sørheim on the one hand, and
Aspaas and Tørrissen on the other, disagree as to whether the notions
herein described are psychotic delusions or must be understood as an
expression of rightwing extremist points of view in combination with a
grandiose and narcissistic personality. The defendant has expressed
the same fundamental ideas to both sets of experts, but has toned down
the presentation of the Knights Templar’s and his own role in the
consultations with the experts Aspaas and Tørrissen. The Court will
revert to the significance of this toning down.
6.4 Paranoid schizophrenia
According to the expert witness’ mandate, «the
international diagnostic system (currently ICD-10) […] shall be used
for the diagnostics and differential diagnostics relevant to the
forensic psychiatric assessment».
ICD-10 Chapter V contains a criteriabased
diagnostic system for mental and behavioural disorders prepared by the
World Health Organization (hereinafter WHO) published in what is often
referred to as the «Green Book». WHO has also prepared clinical
descriptions and diagnostic guidelines in the socalled Blue Book. It
is only the blue book that has been translated into Norwegian. The
Court’s discussion below takes as a point of departure the
researchbased and precise diagnostic criteria of the Green Book.
According to the expert witnesses, this should not be of decisive
importance for the diagnosing, although the Blue Book allows for a
higher degree of clinical discretion.
The expert witnesses Husby and Sørheim believe the
defendant has had clear psychotic symptoms since 2006 with gradual
deterioration. They believe he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia
both at the time of the acts and when they examined him. On page 234
of the report they find «his entire symptom picture unaltered from the
descriptions before and during the reported acts and until the entire
examination». Consequently, the Court finds it unnecessary to discuss
the relationship between his mental state at the time of the reported
acts and at the time of the examination.
In the Green Book, the special diagnostic criteria
for paranoid schizophrenia (F20.0) are described as follows:
A. The general criteria for Schizophrenia
(F20.0–F20.3 [above]) [must be met.]
B. Delusions or hallucinations must be prominent
(such as delusions of persecution, reference, exalted birth, special
mission, bodily change or jealousy; threatening or commanding voices,
hallucinations of smell or taste, sexual or other bodily sensations).
C. Flattening or incongruity of affect, catatonic symptoms, or
incoherent speech must not dominate the clinical picture, although
they may be present to a mild degree.
The diagnosis paranoid schizophrenia (F20.0) is in
other words conditional upon the general criteria for schizophrenia
being met, and upon delusions or hallucinations being prominent
(exemplified, inter alia, by ideas of being persecuted and being of
exalted birth and being convinced of having a special mission in
life).
The general criteria for the diagnosis of
schizophrenia, cited below, require the presence of at least one
symptom from symptom group 1 (letters a) to d)), or at least two
symptoms from symptom group 2 (letters a) to d)). Below, the Court
shall denominate the symptoms of symptom group 2 by the letters e) to
h) in line with the expert witnesses’ lettering of the same criteria
from the Blue Book. The experts Husby and Sørheim have found the
criteria b) (perceptual delusions) and d) (bizarre delusions) from
symptom group 1, as well as f) (thought disturbances and neologisms)
and h) (negative symptoms) from symptom group 2 to be present.
The parties disagree as to whether the defendant
meets the general criteria for schizophrenia. This disagreement is in
particular linked to symptom group 1 letter d), which in the Green
Book is described as follows:
«(d) persistent delusions of other kinds that are
culturally inappropriate and completely impossible (e.g. being able to
control the weather, or being in communication with aliens from
another world).»
Translated into Norwegian, this means persistent
delusions that are culturally inappropriate and completely impossible,
for instance being able to control the weather, or communicating with
beings from an alien world.
In the diagnostic conclusion on page 228, the
expert witnesses Husby and Sørheim write that the defendant «has had
clear symptoms from symptom group .…d) Persistent, bizarre delusions,
exemplified by the idea that he is taking part in a civil war where he
is responsible for determining who is to live and die, as well as
expecting a takeover of power in Europe».
At the trial, these experts summarized the
defendant’s fundamental delusions in the following precise wording:
«He believes that he is to save us all from doom in
a fight between good and evil. In this fight, he believes that he has
a responsibility and a calling to determine who is to live and die.
This responsibility is rooted in a leading position in a nonexistent
organization.»
The experts specified that the core element of
these delusions is the defendant’s perception of his own role and of
this responsibility being a reality.
The head of the Psychiatric Group of the Board of
Forensic Medicine, Karl Heinrik Melle, stated during the trial that it
was not immediately evident to the Group that the delusions described
in the expert witness’ report were of such a nature as described in
criterion d).
Nor did the expert witnesses Aspaas and Tørrissen
or other health personnel find any delusions under criterion d), a
fact to which the Court will return. Ulrik Fredrik Malt, Professor of
Psychiatry, who during his testimony in court gave a thorough
presentation of the diagnostic criteria under ICD-10, was of the
opinion that none of the delusions described in Husby and Sørheim’s
report fell within criterion d). Svenn Torgersen, Professor of
Psychology, who has worked with schizophrenia for many years,
expressed the same opinion during his testimony.
As regards the more detailed assessment of the
criteria under letter d), the Court takes as a point of departure that
the delusions must be «culturally inappropriate».
The experts Husby and Sørheim write on page 57 of
their report that they «have not taken a stance on the observee’s
political message or position». Nonetheless, during their review of
the compendium they have placed his political ideas into a political
context when they write the following on page 62:
«Without going into the observee’s political views,
the experts have ascertained that his image of the state of Europe and
the state of Norway is extreme and appears to lack any factual basis
when it comes to many of his interpretations and assertions. However,
the bulk of this material appears more to be an application of
existing, political trends than a creation made by himself, as much of
it is a cutandpaste exercise from a variety of websites and historical
sources. This also means that his quotations and conclusions are
shared by a number of other people both in Norway and the rest of
Europe.»
This political context is however absent in the
expert witness’ running assessment of the defendant’s symptoms, and in
the diagnostic assessment starting on page 220. In that assessment,
the defendant’s various statements are understood in the light of his
«stable, detailed and allencompassing paranoid and grandiose
delusions», as described by the experts in their summing up of his
delusional universe on page 229 of the report. The Court misses a
wider discussion of alternative interpretations of the defendant’s
various statements, especially on the basis of the rightwing extremist
subculture of which he claims to be part.
The Court makes reference to the fact that the
defendant became politically active at the age of 18. He joined the
Progress Party’s Youth in 1997 and the Frogner local chapter of the
Progress Party in 1999. For some time he held elected offices at the
local chapter level in both organisations. The defendant has explained
that he was attracted, inter alia, by the Progress Party’s restrictive
immigration policies. The Court lacks an overview of the defendant’s
political participation until he was forced to leave the Progress
Party in 2006 and left the Progress Party’s Youth in 2007. The
defendant’s friends have however described him as a stubborn person
with strong and «strange» opinions and with an intense interest in
politics. Since 2009, the defendant has been an active writer on
www.dokument.no [sic], a website that is critical to immigration. The
defendant’s rightwing extremist ideology is also documented through
his compendium.
During the trial, anti-Islamic and rightwing
extremist ideas and rhetoric were thoroughly elucidated. In rightwing
extremist circles, words like «war» and «civil war» are used often in
a figurative and strongly exaggerated sense. It is not uncommon to use
symbols and historical parallels in the communication of extremist
messages. Antiimmigration circles also express views of ethnic doom,
demographic warfare, and the necessity of a future takeover of power.
In the compendium on page 952, the defendant
himself describes what he means by «civil war». The European civil
war, phase 1 – 1999–2030 is an «[o]pen source warfare, military shock
attacks by clandestine cell systems» and «Further consolidation of
conservative forces». These phrases can hardly be said to contain
delusions of an ongoing conventional civil war. A more obvious
interpretation is to consider this to be a platform statement on how
to reach the defendant’s goal of getting the Muslims out of Europe.
Such an interpretation is supported by the defendant’s statement
during the interrogation at Utøya after his arrest when said he
participated in a «political» war.
The experts Husby and Sørheim have also emphasised
the intensity of the defendant’s statements. On page 62 of their
report they go on to write the following after the above quotation:
«However, the experts have been struck by the
intensity of the observee’s war terminology and his perception and
description of being in a war, which in turn leads up the reported
acts. The experts have seen, both in the compendium but also in other
contacts with him during the course of our own talks with him and
examination of the police interview reports, that he in fact has an
emotional and real perception of war, doom and own duty as a saviour.»
Also during the trial, these experts noted that the
defendant became intense and experienced physiological reactions when
acts of murder and violence were described. They believed the
defendant was driven by ideas of violence and not by politics.
Nonetheless, the question is whether the intensity
of the defendant’s ideas indicates that they should be classified as
delusions under criterion d). Again, an alternative interpretation
would be to understand his intensity as a manifestation of a fanatical
and farright extremist worldview, combined with a grandiose and
narcissistic personality. The circumstance that the defendant in other
contexts has toned down his statements on war, doom and his own task
as a saviour, speak in favour of such an alternative interpretation.
The Court’s assessment thus far is that the
defendant’s statement of being a participant in a civil war with
expectations of a takeover of power in Europe can be understood in a
political context that is significant in farright extremist
subcultures. Nonetheless, the Court assumes that the defendant alone
planned the acts of murder concerned, which subsequently seem to have
been endorsed by only a quite limited number of persons.
This brings the Court to the second criterion under
letter d); that the delusions must be «completely impossible». During
the trial, the experts Husby and Sørheim specified that what is
completely impossible is the defendant’s selfperceived responsibility
and calling to decide who is to live and die.
The question is whether the idea of having such a
responsibility or calling is completely impossible in the sense used
in criterion d). At the trial, Professor Malt explained that the
criterion «completely impossible» is not clearly defined, and that
consequently there is room for different interpretations. It is common
to apply this criterion to delusions that are strange, weird, absurd
and beyond what is physically possible. Professor of Psychology Svenn
Torgersen explained at the trial that the delusion must represent a
«break with naturalscience thinking». In their report, the experts
Aspaas and Tørrissen use the designation «physically impossible»,
which seems to be in keeping with this. In the test SCID-1 under the
American diagnostic system DSM-IV, the concept «bizarre» is applied to
the same criteriabased delusion.
Naturally, the Court agrees with the expert
witnesses Husby and Sørheim in that a selfperceived responsibility or
calling to decide who gets to live and die is fully unacceptable from
an ethical point of view. However, as the defence also argued, a
person’s conception of having such a calling goes to the very core of
politically or religiously founded terrorism. The defendant has in a
fanatical and cynical manner maintained that the selection of victims
and object for his misdeeds on 22 July 2011 was politically motivated.
It is difficult for the Court to see that his conceptions of murders
and terrorist acts to attain a future political goal – regardless how
incomprehensible and reproachable they may be – can be «completely
impossible», which is how this diagnostic criterion is normally
applied according to information at hand. Like the Court will revert
to, the expert witnesses also disagree about whether such conceptions
constitute pathological delusions.
In this context, the Court will not pursue the
defendant’s role in Knight’s Templar, since any genuine conviction
about playing a leading role in a nonexistent organisation can hardly
be deemed to be «completely impossible» in relation to criterion d).
The Court will revert to the significance of the Knights Templar below
when it deals with paranoid psychosis.
Based on the above, the Court believes that the
defendant has not had delusions that are sufficiently subculturally
inappropriate and impossible to be covered by the usual scientific and
clinical application of criterion d).
As already mentioned, it will suffice that at least
one symptom from symptom group 1 or at least two symptoms from symptom
group 2 are met in order for the basic criterion for the schizophrenia
diagnosis to be met. Even though the expert witnesses Husby and
Sørheim also found that criterion b) in symptom group 1 and criteria
f) and h) in symptom group 2 were met, the prosecuting authority said
in its closing arguments that its demand for judgment to have the
defendant transferred to compulsory mental health care was based on
criterion d) being satisfied. This was because the prosecuting
authority believed that the other criteria were based on a weaker
foundation. The Court has an independent responsibility for the
application of law and will therefore also address the other symptoms
that the expert witnesses Husby and Sørheim deemed existed.
Criterion b) has been defined in the Green Book as
follows:
«(b) delusions of control, influence, or passivity,
clearly referred to body or limb movements or specific thoughts,
actions, or sensations; delusional perception.»
Translated into Norwegian this means delusions of
being controlled, influenced by external forces, or passivity with a
clear reference to body or limb movements, or specific thoughts,
actions, or sensations; delusional perception.
On page 228 of the diagnostic evaluation, the
expert witnesses Husby and Sørheim write that the defendant showed
«clear symptoms from symptom group b): Delusions in
respect of perception and control, exemplified by the feeling that the
observee knows what others are thinking.»
The expert witnesses’ observations have been
described in more detail in two minuted talks. One observation from
the first talk with the defendant on 10 August 2011 is found on page
88 of the expert witnesses’ report:
«One of the expert witnesses asks how the observee
was to determine whether we were speaking the truth, had we answered
the questions. The observee smiles and says: I already know that.
Thousands of hours of sales work have enabled me to predict with a
probability of 70% what the person I am talking to is thinking. So I
know that none of you are Marxistoriented, but both are politically
correct and support multiculturalism. …
The expert witnesses ask the observee if he is
guessing or if he knows what others are thinking. I know, says the
observee, that’s a big difference.»
Moreover, the expert witnesses write the following
about status praesens following a talk with the defendant on 23 August
2011 page 109:
«The observee believes that he knows what people he
is talking to are thinking, since he believes he knows how former
fellow party members from the Progress Party would characterize him
now. The phenomenon is considered to be psychotically based.»
According to Melle’s testimony, the Board of
Forensic Medicine accepted this as a delusional perception. The
defendant made similar statements to the expert witnesses Aspaas and
Tørrissen, but they did not interpret the statements as delusional
perceptions. Nor did psychiatrist Randi Rosenqvist, advisor to the
management of Ila Preventive Detention and Security Prison, interpret
similar statements made during her examination of the defendant as
signs of psychosis.
In the expert witnesses’ evaluation of this
criterion, the Court would have liked to see a discussion of possible
alternative interpretations by the expert witnesses. Firstly, the
expert witnesses could have taken the defendant at his word in the
sense that he felt his sales work experience had made him a good judge
of character. He could also be perceived as being categorical in his
way of thinking by tending to label people. A third possible
interpretation could be that he boasts talents he does not have, which
would possibly be in line with a grandiose and narcissistic
personality.
The Court believes that such alternative
interpretations are more obvious for the two observations described by
the expert witnesses, and can therefore not see that criterion b) is
met.
The Court now moves to discuss symptom group 2,
criterion f), which in the Green Book is defined as
«neologisms, breaks, or interpolations in the train
of thought, resulting in incoherence or irrelevant speech».
Translated into Norwegian this means neologisms,
breaks in the train of thought, or interpolations in the line of
thinking, resulting in incoherent or irrelevant speech.
The expert witnesses Husby and Sørheim have found
«clear symptoms from symptom group f): Breaks or
interpolation in the train of thought, exemplified by periodic
perseveration, associative speech and neologisms.»
Associational disturbance and perseveration
(repetition of the same basic topics) have been described under the
diagnostic evaluations of these expert witnesses on pages 226–227 as
follows:
«The observee is at times difficult to follow,
because he changes subject quickly and must be brought back to the
topic. He associates richly and his associations bring him – almost
always and irrespective of angle of approach – back to his political
message, his perceived mission and position. The phenomenon is
considered to be a moderate associational disturbance.
When given the opportunity to speak freely, the
observee focuses uninterruptedly on the same topics. He relates time
and time again the same details related to his own knighthood,
radicalisation process, the Knights Templar organisation, the
forthcoming coup d’état and power takeover in Norway and Europe. The
phenomenon is regarded by the expert witnesses as perseveration. No
latency or thought blocks occur during the talks. The observee does
not display disorganised behaviour.»
The expert witnesses Aspaas and Tørrissen also
observed the defendant’s tendency to revert to a stereotypical
political argumentation with a repetition of appurtenant
illustrations, e.g. that the bombing of Japan under World War II
allegedly saved many lives, and that the riots in Paris before the
general election in 2009 had not been fully covered by Norwegian media
to prevent a successful outcome for the Progress Party in the
election. However, they did not deem this to be a psychotic
«repetitive» mode of speech.
At the trial, the Court also noted that the
defendant kept coming back to the topics he was most passionate about.
However, these repetitions did not result in incoherent or irrelevant
speech, as required by criterion f). The Court did not at any point
find it difficult to follow or understand the meaning of what the
defendant said.
The question of whether the defendant uses
neologisms has been strongly highlighted during the trial. A neologism
is not defined in detail in the diagnostic system and according to
Professor Malt it may open for multiple interpretations. However, it
is normally used about a totally incomprehensible new word which
somebody has coined him-/herself or about existing words/word
combinations which somebody uses in a totally incomprehensible manner.
The expert witnesses Husby and Sørheim said the
following about neologisms on page 225:
«The observee presents selfcoined words such as
national Darwinist, suicidal Marxist and suicidal humanism, justiciar
knight, justiciar knight commander, justiciar knight master or
justiciar knight grand master. These concepts are regarded as
neologisms.»
Similar word combinations which the expert
witnesses consider to be neologisms are reported several places in the
report.
According to Melle, the Board of Forensic Medicine
believed that the expert witnesses Husby and Sørheim applied the
neologism concept unusually. The group would have liked to see the
expert witnesses ask followup questions. Neither Professor Malt, nor
other expert witnesses, supported the expert witnesses’ neologism
findings, as described in their report.
The presentation of evidence disclosed that several
of these word combinations are also used by others. The expert
witnesses Aspaas and Tørrissen have e.g. found many of the same word
combinations on the Internet, inter alia, in a rightwing extremist
context. The knight and justiciar terminology is allegedly also used
in the computer game World of Warcraft and in the Masonic Order.
Consequently, these expert witnesses did not believe that the
defendant used neologisms.
The expert witness Sørheim mentioned in her
testimony that the words were neologisms because they formed part of
the defendant’s delusional universe. The Court believes that such a
view may easily lead to circular reasoning. In any case, the Court
believes that the expressions and word combinations can be understood
in a context that makes them meaningful and can not see that the word
combinations result in incoherent or irrelevant speech, as required by
criterion f).
On this basis, the Court believes that criterion f)
has not been met.
The Court then moves to address criterion h) in
symptom group 2, which is the last possible general schizophrenia
criterion, defined as follows in the Green Book:
««negative» symptoms, such as marked apathy,
paucity of speech, and blunting of [sic] incongruity of emotional
responses (it must be clear that these are not due to depression or to
neuroleptic medication).»
Translated into Norwegian this means «negative
symptoms», such as marked apathy, paucity of speech, blunted emotions
or incongruity of emotional responses not due to depression or
neuroleptic medication.
Blunted emotions imply that a person has a limited
range of emotional responses. Such limitations will e.g. manifest
themselves in few facial expressions, reduced or inappropriate
responses, inadequate body language or reduced spontaneous mobility.
The Court’s understanding is that impaired empathy, i.e. the ability
to feel compassion for others, is not necessarily a negative symptom
as described in criterion h).
The expert witnesses Husby and Sørheim found on
page 228 of their report that the defendant displayed
«clear symptoms of symptom group […] (h): Negative
symptoms, exemplified by appearing to be notably emotionally blunted».
On page 224, this is described as follows:
«The observee appeared to be emotionally blunted,
with complete emotional distance in respect of his own situation and
of the expert witnesses. The observee maintains that the killing of
the victims was justified, that he has no regrets and feels no remorse
[…] Nor does the observee express any emotions in relation to his
family and friends. He describes all topics, from his own childhood to
the executions of the reported acts in operationalised speech, with no
emotional component. The observee appears to be affectively blunted
and with serious empathetic failure.»
The Court does not find it difficult, based on its
own observations during the trial, to concur in the observations here
described. The Court nevertheless noted that the defendant cried
during the showing of his own propaganda film, allegedly because he
was touched. Such affect was not immediately comprehensible to others,
however. The question is whether the affective flattening in the
defendant to a certain degree may be situational, both related to the
time while he was in solitary confinement at Ila [prison], and during
the trial with all the pressure that it must have represented to him.
The experts Aspaas and Tørrissen explained that
they have observed a broader range of emotions in the defendant.
During the main hearing, Tørrissen nevertheless reacted to the lack of
emotional reactions during the review of the autopsy reports and the
statements of the aggrieved parties. This resulted in another
consultation between Tørrissen and the defendant at the premises of
the courthouse holding cells. According to Tørrissen, the defendant
appeared more emotionally flattened in court than what he did at Ila
and in the holding cell, where he appeared more relaxed and natural.
The observation of the defendant in court did not change these
psychiatrists’ earlier assessment of the defendant’s state of mind in
general or of his affective flattening in particular, which they
summarize on pages 299–300 as follows:
«The observee appears as emotionally blunted when
it comes to take to heart the suffering he has inflicted upon others.
He shows no remorse and would have done the same again. His
acknowledgement of having committed atrocities seems superficial and
technical. However, he has shown perfectly adequate abilities to
interact and communicate with the expert witnesses and health
personnel. His emotional flattening is not assessed to be of the kind
seen in serious mental illnesses, but is understood as expressions of
pathological personality traits.»
In support of finding negative symptoms under
criterion h), the experts Husby and Sørheim have greatly emphasized
the decline in the functioning levels of the defendant in the years
preceding the terrorist attacks. Using criterion i) of the Blue Book
as a startingpoint, this is described on page 228 in their report as
«a considerable and persistent change in quality of certain areas of
personal conduct, described through marked functional impairment with
social, practical and financial collapse».
The Court remarks that criterion i) is not a
general criterion for schizophrenia, but belongs to the symptom group
of simple schizophrenia (F20.6). These psychiatrists have nevertheless
given this criterion great importance, presumably since such
withdrawal symptoms usually accompany the negative symptoms described
in letter h). In the Green Book, criterion i is described as «a marked
decline in social, scholastic, or occupational performance».
The expert witnesses Husby and Sørheim write the
following about the decline in the functioning levels of the defendant
on page 227:
«It is the assessment of the expert witnesses that
the observee in the period 2002 to 2006 showed a tendency of
increasing isolation with gradually declining functioning skills. The
expert witnesses do not have any facts to ascertain when the psychotic
symptoms of the observee first appeared, but it cannot be excluded
that the onset of symptoms was already in this period.
From 2006 on, the collected documentation describes
a definite shift of the functioning level of the observee. Friends
testify that from this time on, the observee withdrew from social
contact, turned quieter, moved back in with his mother, and stopped
working. These phenomena are considered by the psychiatrists to be
withdrawal, isolation and a lacking ability to meet the demands of the
working life.
The mother of the observee has described that the
observee turned day and night around, played computer games a lot, and
from this time on mostly stayed in his room. The observee did not take
part in cleaning and maintenance of the apartment or his own laundry,
and did not cook himself. His mother bought the groceries. The mother
of the observee describes how he, upon her incitement, did not want to
contact the Labour and Welfare Services (NAV) for assistance, either
of practical or financial nature. The symptoms are considered by the
psychiatrists to be extensive functional impairment, in practical,
social, and economic terms, and with respect to capacity for work.»
The expert witnesses Aspaas and Tørrissen agree
that the defendant functioned outside of normal society for a long
time, but they believe that this was premeditated behaviour due to his
highly special aims and activities. On page 299 in their report, these
psychiatrists write, inter alia, the following on negative symptoms:
«It is well described that the observee has
withdrawn from friends for long periods at a time. He has also spent a
lot of time alone in his room in the mother’s apartment to play
computer games, especially in 2006/2007. On his withdrawal, the
observee has explained that he spent the time on preparations for the
terrorist act and that he thus had to give up part of his social life.
However, he has stayed in touch with friends, right up until just
before 22 July 2011. In the period when he spent a great part of his
time on computer games, this happened in a way which, to the knowledge
of the expert witnesses, implies that he would to a considerable
extent participate in a social interaction with a large number of
fellow players through internetbased verbal communication, and for
hours on end. No evidence has thus been presented of withdrawal, as
seen in psychotic illnesses, in the opinion of the psychiatrists.»
The Court does not find sufficient grounds to
establish a pathological drop in functioning levels in the period from
2002 to 2006. Investigations have disclosed that the defendant sold
false diplomas in this period with a total revenue of nearly NOK 3.7
million, while he was also trading in shares. He moved to live on his
own in 2003, but he still kept in touch with friends and family
members.
However, there is no doubt that the defendant
underwent a considerable professional, social and practical alteration
in behaviour in 2006. The Court believes the background of this
alteration in behaviour may be complex.
The defendant has explained that he discontinued
his business activities, which hedescribes as legal, but immoral,
because he was afraid of being negatively exposed in the media. Once
his company was dissolved in February 2006, he set up his account in
the World of Warcraft in March, i.e. half a year prior to moving back
to his mother’s place. The Court believes a form of compulsive
gambling may have been a contributing factor to why he chose to move
back in with his mother and withdraw from a social and active work
life.
The Court furthermore does not disregard the
possibility that the underlying relationship to his mother may explain
some of the defendant’s dependency upon her in practical matters. The
experts Husby and Sørheim include, on pages 48–50 in their report,
documents from the National Centre of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
(SSBU) from 1983, in which there is mention of the relationship
between the defendant and the mother. Furthermore, on page 68 in their
report, they have included a letter from the halfsister B to the
mother, presumably from 2009 or 2010. In the letter, B addresses what
she perceives as problems with her brother that have lasted for years,
and she writes the following, among other things: «I am like an echo
stating what I have said for so many years, actually ever since I was
little, as far back as I can remember – let him have his own life!»
The Court has, in the extension of this, also noted the information
that the mother cleaned the apartment of the defendant after he moved
into a place of his own.
The Court believes that at any rate, the deviant
conduct of the defendant may be understood in the light of his
personality. Already in 1998, he made an untraditional choice by
leaving school in the third [and final] year of upper secondary school
to earn money and become an entrepreneur. This was in spite of him
doing well in school, in spite of both knowledge and his resume being
important to him, and besides he was in a community where it was
common to complete twelve years of school. The business areas which he
later chose to try out must also be said to be peculiar; especially
the diamond trading in Liberia in 2002 and the production of false
diplomas from 2002. Friends of the defendant have described him as a
social and good friend, though at the same time as «stubborn» with
«eccentric» opinions, «the outsider of the group», «goaloriented» and
as a person who committed «110%» to what interested him.
Furthermore, it is well documented that the
defendant was both goaloriented and «productive» from the time when he
moved back to his mother’s house in 2006, until 22 July 2011. From
2006 he played World of Warcraft at a high level, and according to the
testimony of a fellow player, he was «the best officer» this player
had ever had. As previously described, the game is social and requires
good communication between the players. The defendant later prepared
his ideological compendium in English of nearly 2.000 pages,
including, inter alia, a detailed terrorism manual. He gradually
acquired knowledge on the production of bombs, got hold of weapons,
effects, and equipment. He made several trips abroad in 2009 and 2010,
and joined Oslo pistolklubb [Oslo Pistol Club] in 2010. He founded the
company A Geofarm as a sole proprietorship in May 2009, signed a
rental contract and moved to Åsta farm in the beginning of May 2011.
Here, he produced the bomb and made a test explosion. The defendant
succeeded in keeping his extensive terrorism preparations hidden from
the surrounding world. He carried out the terrorist attacks on 22 July
2011 in line with his plans, and the witnesses from Utøya have
explained that he walked around the island calmly, aiming precisely
when shooting at his victims.
The activities described above show that the
defendant had stamina, impulse control and good cognitive functions
related to the tasks he assigned himself. The Court finds the
defendant’s ability to plan and implement in these various areas hard
to reconcile with untreated paranoid schizophrenia with a gradual
deterioration from 2006. The experts Husby and Sørheim did explain
this by stating that the defendant is among the onethird of
schizophrenics who retain most of their cognitive functions. The Court
still wonders whether this explanation is reconcilable with their
assessment of the defendant’s pathological and total functional
impairment in all areas.
In the assessment of the defendant’s functioning,
the Court will at any rate emphasize that in the period from 2006, he
maintained, and in part resumed, certain normal activities. All this
time, he would pay his mother NOK 3.500 a month out of his savings,
and besides he was well dressed and groomed. He continued to trade in
shares, and is registered with 60 transactions in 2008 at his most
active. In 2006 he joined the Masonic Lodge, where he attended a few
meetings and was later promoted in the degrees every year, most
recently to the 3rd degree in 2009. In 2007/2008 he resumed contact
with friends with whom he travelled to Budapest in 2009. The friends
have not reported any conspicuous behaviour on behalf of the defendant
after the contact was reestablished. Furthermore, it has been stated
that the defendant was on Facebook and had a number of email
addresses. Although social contact on the Internet cannot be compared
to social contact in the real world, the Court nevertheless believes
it to be relevant in the overall assessment of the functioning of the
defendant.
The experts Husby and Sørheim appear to have placed
great emphasis on information from the mother on the defendant’s
functioning in the year prior to the indicted acts. On page 223 of
their report, they write as follows:
«From 2010, the observee’s mother describes a
qualitative change in his way of being. She describes how the observee
from this point on was concerned with infection, his own appearance
and was uncomfortably intense, irritable and angry. It became
increasingly important to him to impart politics and history, and the
mother felt pressured by him. She describes that it was difficult for
her to understand what he wanted to relay. She described the observee
as utterly beyond, and believed in all the rubbish he said. The
phenomena are assessed by the psychiatrists to be an expression of
psychotic delusions.
The observee’s mother describes how the observee no
longer appeared to know how to keep an appropriate distance from her,
as he could go from sitting down much too close to her on the sofa, to
not wanting to accept the food she served. This behaviour is assessed
by the psychiatrists to be regulation difficulties as a consequence of
paranoid delusions.»
In their letters of 23 April and 31 May 2012, the
Board of Forensic Medicine criticizes the expert witnesses Aspaas and
Tørrissen for not having procured data from supplementary informants
on the defendant in his childhood and adolescent years and in early
adulthood, especially from the years when he lived with his mother as
an adult. They have also found it to be a significant flaw of the
report that these psychiatrists have not stated their grounds for «how
such potentially important information [from the mother] is neither
considered in the SCID-1 scoring nor in the general diagnostic
assessment».
In the supplementary report of 30 April 2012, these
objections are met with, inter alia, this reply:
«The most immediate source of obtaining firsthand
information from a supplementary informant would be from the
observee’s mother, who has had close contact with him over the years.
The mother has been interviewed by the police six times, [resulting
in] altogether more than 200 pages of statements. She has also been
interviewed by the expert witnesses Husby and Sørheim. In this manner,
we have had access to extensive information from her. It is noted that
in early statements, she has given a fairly normal description of the
observee. Though she has indeed worried about him not being in
permanent employment, she has otherwise described him as kind,
considerate, a problem solver for his friends, hard working. On the
eve of the indicted acts they had a good time together and there was
unusual to point out. Later, and especially to expert witnesses Husby
and Sørheim, she has meant that he «must be insane» and has talked of
him as «utterly beyond, and believed in all the rubbish he said».
Hence, we would unavoidably face contradictory information from the
mother if a new interview were done. Considering this factor, as well
as the information that she has serious health problems (which have
also made her exempt from appearing in court), the expert witnesses
have refrained from asking her to meet us for a consultation.»
The Court interprets the experts Aspaas and
Tørrissen as having assessed also the extensive material from the
various statements of the defendant’s mother’s when making their
diagnostic assessment, which they confirmed at the trial. The Court
does however agree with the Board of Forensic Medicine in that it
would have been clearly advantageous if these experts had gathered
firsthand information from the defendant’s mother, having in mind also
the contradictions they noted in her various statements.
Nonetheless, the Court believes that the
defendant’s behaviour towards his mother from 2010 onwards most likely
can be understood against the background of the upcoming terrorist
attacks, which he at the time was in full swing preparing from their
shared home. As a part of these preparations, in the winter of 2010 he
took his first course of anabolic steroids, which also may have
influenced his behaviour towards her. Additionally, the information
provided by the defendant’s mother seems to contrast somewhat with
witness statements from friends saying that the defendant was
approaching his «old self» in the course of 2010/2011. Nor have any
other family members reported anything unusual from the family
gathering at Christmas 2010 in their police interviews. The
defendant’s half sister on his father’s side stated in a police
interview that «A was the way he has always been; articulate,
knowledgeable, and it seemed like he was doing a lot of thinking. He
knew a lot about history and religion», cf. the quotation in the
report of the experts Aspaas and Tørrissen on page 122.
As regards the experts Husby and Sørheim’s
description of the regulation problems in the above quotation, the
Court notes a similar ambivalence between closeness and distance in
mother’s relationship to the defendant described in the documents from
the National Centre of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry from 1983. This
information, which the Court does not find reason to discuss in
further detail, may support the notion that the described behaviour is
relationally based and not a manifestation of paranoid delusions.
Following the above, the Court believes it is more
obvious to interpret the defendant’s changes in behaviour in 2006 and
2010 in the light of his particular personality and what he had set
out to do, rather than as being negative symptoms of schizophrenia.
However, the Court does not take a stance on whether the defendant’s
flattened affectivity, considered in isolation, falls under criterion
h), as the existence of a single symptom from symptom group 2 in any
case is insufficient.
The Court’s conclusion thus far is that the
defendant did not have symptoms that fulfil the general ICD-10
criteria for schizophrenia, the way these criteria are normally
applied in clinical and scientific practice.
Besides, as already mentioned, the Board of
Forensic Medicine did not unconditionally agree with the experts Husby
and Sørheim’s findings of bizarre delusions and neologisms. According
to Mr. Melle’s statement, the Board of Forensic Medicine nonetheless
refrained from making written remarks to their report because they
believed the symptoms described in any case were compatible with a
paranoid psychosis (F22). The Court does not agree with the Board in
this line of reasoning. After all, the experts Husby and Sørheim had
themselves rejected this diagnosis; amongst other things because they
believed that the defendant’s marked flattening of affect was
incompatible with the ICD-10 criteria for paranoid psychosis.
Moreover, had not representatives of the Board been summoned later to
give evidence at the trial, the Court would have remained unaware of
the Board’s assessment that central diagnostic criteria for
schizophrenia were poorly documented. Additionally, the Court cannot
see that the Board’s substantive remarks to the report of the experts
Husby and Sørheim are less significant than the written remarks to the
report of the experts Aspaas and Tørrissen. As the Court will discuss
below, these remarks concerned, inter alia, documentation of the
general criteria for the diagnosis of personality disorder, which is
not of decisive importance for the question of criminal sanity.
Consequently, in its assessment of the evidence the Court will not
attach any independent importance to the fact that the Board of
Forensic Medicine made written remarks to only one of the two reports.
The Court now proceeds to discuss the alternative
psychosis disorder that has been addressed by the expert witnesses.
6.5 Paranoid psychosis
The experts Aspaas and Tørrissen have assessed
whether the defendant may have had a paranoid psychosis at the time of
the reported acts. Paranoid psychosis (F22) is a more limited
delusional disorder that is presented with six diagnostic criteria in
the Green Book, including the following:
A delusion or set of related delusions, other than
those listed as typically schizophrenic in criterion G1 (i) b or d for
F20.0–F20.3 (i.e. other than completely impossible or culturally
inappropriate) must be present. The commonest examples are
persecutory, grandiose, hypochondriacal, jealous (zelotypic), or
erotic delusions.
[…]
The general criteria for schizophrenia
(F20.0-F20.3) are not fulfilled.[…]
Translated into Norwegian this means that the
disorder is characterised by a delusion or a set of related delusions
that should not be bizarre, exemplified, inter alia, by paranoid and
grandiose delusions. Since the experts Husby and Sørheim believe the
defendant suffers from paranoid schizophrenia with allencompassing
delusions, they do not discuss this diagnosis. As already mentioned,
they nonetheless make the remark that the defendant’s marked
flattening of affect is incompatible with a paranoid psychosis.
In their report, the experts Aspaas and Tørrissen
present a SCID-1 interview, which is a structured interview under the
parallel American diagnostic system DSM-IV. Below follows their
assessment of paranoid psychosis found on pages 262–263:
«As stated above, the expert witnesses have not
found any psychotic symptoms. […] He has had ideas of heightened
selfworth, power and knowledge that may be reminiscent of what is
observed in the case of delusional disorders. Not least the ideas
concerning the Knights Templar appear peculiar. He has however
rationalised this and has explained that it is a willed idea. The
experts attach importance to the fact that the observee in police
interviews and interviews with the experts is capable of arguing and
presenting nuanced statements. He has a capacity for being corrected
that is not found in persons with delusional disorders. It does not
seem to be of interest to discuss grandiose ideas about his own
finances, since income of a certain level has been documented in the
course of the investigation.
Another important observation is that he has
managed to keep his plans concealed from others. This is not very
compatible with ideas of a psychotic nature, where precisely the urge
to assert the perceived injustice will be prominent. The observee has
demonstrated an unusually stable and good impulse control, which he
also demonstrates during detention.
Clinically assessed, one does not find in the
observee the psychotic nature that characterises delusions. There may
be obvious reasons to apply the concept of flawed perception of
reality to his extremist political views; however, as described above
these are ideas he shares with a subculture that expresses the same
opinions.
Issues concerning surveillance and possible somatic
delusions have been discussed above. It is thus the experts’
assessment that the observee does not have nor has had any delusional
disorder.»
In the general diagnostic assessment of whether the
defendant may have suffered from a psychotic disorder at the time of
the reported acts, they present the following conclusion on pages
302–303 of their report:
«As stated above, the experts have not assessed his
ideas as being manifestations of psychotic thought processes, but as
extreme political views, combined with the conscious disregard for
opposing views. The experts assume the existence of an ideological
subculture that shares the observee’s ideological and political views.
Consequently, there are no grounds for a delusional disorder (F22.0
Paranoid psychosis).»
The experts Aspaas and Tørrissen interpreted the
defendant’s fear of surveillance by the Police Security Service (PST)
and isolated instances of him using a face mask as exaggerated caution
and fear of illness during the planning of the terrorist acts, and not
as psychotic delusions. Contrary to the experts Husby and Sørheim,
they have not perceived the defendant’s use of the word «we» instead
of «I» to be an identity disturbance, but an expression of him
intending to speak on behalf of likeminded persons.
In its statements of 23 April and 21 May, the Board
of Forensic Medicine has questioned
the validity of the defendant’s answers to, inter
alia, the SCID-1 interview, considering his tendency to answer
strategically. In their introductory description of SCID-1, the
experts Aspaas and Tørrissen have addressed this issue, writing that
they, inter alia, have taken as a point of departure and have
confronted the defendant with his earlier statements in police
interviews, in conversations and in the compendium. Next, these
statements have been «weighed against the clinical impression and the
way in which he answers». Also in the introductory general remarks on
page 12 of their report, they raise the question of whether the
defendant in his conversations with them «has adapted himself to his
knowledge at any given time of the case complex, the police
investigation, the previous forensic psychiatric report, etc». Against
this background, they have assessed and «compared his statements to
the expert witnesses in February/March 2012 with what emerged during
the early stages after his arrest (documented in a police interview
recorded on DVD), as well as his statements to the health service and
the earlier expert witnesses in July/August 2011». Additionally, the
questions of dissimulation and a possible false negative conclusion
are discussed in connection with the diagnostic assessments on page
300 and in the supplementary report of 30 April 2012.
The Court agrees that the defendant’s tendency to
adapt his answers in tests and in his conversations with the experts
may, considered in isolation, weaken the value of the observations of
the experts Aspaas and Tørrissen. Notwithstanding this, the Court
notes that as early as in the first conversation on 9 September 2011
with psychiatrist Arnhild Flikke, the defendant described himself as a
«foot soldier», see the above quote. Flikke is a senior medical
officer within the Specialist Health Service of Bærum Municipality,
the District Psychiatric Centre (hereinafter DPS), and she has been a
member of the «Ila Team» since 2007. Also in a police interview on 18
October 2011 did the defendant moderate statements in the manifesto
that he has also cited during early police interviews as well as in
conversations with the experts Husby and Sørheim. In the police
interview he said, inter alia, that the way he had «described the
Knights Templar, it is a glossy picture of the Knights Templar, but in
practice the Knights Templar is in the process of being established»,
see the quote from this interview on page 82 of the report of the
experts Aspaas and Tørrissen. Additionally, policemen who carried out
the interviews of the defendant confirmed at the trial that they noted
a certain toning down of the defendant’s previous statements from the
police interview on 18 October 2011, and a marked toning down from the
police interviews in March 2012. It is furthermore clear that the
defendant toned down the description of the Knights Templar and his
own political role in his conversations with the experts Aspaas and
Tørrissen, and also in his statement during the trial.
The Court believes that the circumstance that the
defendant is capable of moderating his statements is also relevant
diagnostic information. On pages 296–297 of their report, the experts
Aspaas and Tørrissen describe the defendant’s high opinion of, inter
alia, «his own importance for the future of the country and Western
Europe». Here, they draw a parallel with a condition that in
specialist literature is termed «pseudologia fantastica», and which
refers to conditions where a person with theatrical personality traits
makes up stories that make them important. They write the following
about the difference between persons with such personality traits and
psychotic persons:
«It is characteristic that these kinds of stories
are toned down when the person concerned is confronted with facts or
opposing views. In psychotic patients, the opposite is often observed;
when they are confronted with ambiguities and improbabilities, their
statements will become increasingly unclear and improbable, and when
patients are subjected to pressure they may show signs of stress and
psychological decompensation. «Pseudologia fantastica» is not a
separate diagnosis in the diagnostic systems, but the phenomenon may
provide a basis for personality diagnoses.»
Also other expert witnesses within psychiatry
described at the trial how genuine delusions normally are defended by
the patient in the case of resistance. Patients often turn aggressive
and angry or sulky and silent when their delusions are challenged.
Overall, psychotic patients have limited capacity for moderation.
There also seems to be agreement among these witnesses that a
psychotic person hardly would manage to adapt during hourslong
interviews in pressed situations. According to the information
provided, the police interviews lasted for up to 11 hours. The
defendant’s statement at the trial also lasted for many hours every
day for more than a week. If one disregards the contents of the
defendant’s statements, under the circumstances he gave evidence in an
inconspicuous way. He gave the impression of being controlled and
collected. He let himself be corrected and moderated, and he
demonstrated a capacity for flexibility in various contexts.
Against this backdrop, the Court agrees with the
expert witnesses Aspaas and Tørrissen’s conclusion that the
defendant’s use of terminology and various statements including
historical references about civil war, power takeover in Norway,
ethnic cleansing, breeding institutions and genetic testing of our
future regent can all be understood in a political context. The same
goes for the use of the plural «we» as a reference to the defendant’s
fellow rightwing extremist peers. The defendant’s periodic use of
mouth mask and his feeling of being under surveillance seem also to
have plausible explanations. No similar behaviour or statements by the
defendant have subsequently been reported.
The prosecution has focussed on whether the
defendant’s conception about the Knights Templar can be regarded as
psychotic delusions under the presumption that the organisation does
not exist. Investigations have not produced any evidence to indicate
that such an organisation exists.
The expert witnesses Aspaas and Tørrissen write the
following about the Knights Templar on page 295 of the report’s
diagnostic evaluation:
«The expert witnesses take for a fact that militant
movements sometimes develop a system of rank titles, uniforms,
greetings, etc. Despite this, the description of the Knights Templar,
and not least the uniform the observee has had made, is characterised
as eccentric, theatrical and grandiose. The fact that he has
deliberately conjured up a future vision can, nevertheless, not be
understood as a sign of psychosis. In the opinion of the expert
witnesses, he has all along known that the idea of the Knights Templar
is a product of his own imagination.»
At the trial, the defendant maintained the basic
features of the compendium’s description of the founding and structure
of the Knights Templar. Among other things, he explained that he met a
Serbian war criminal in Liberia whom he later represented at the
founding meeting in London in 2002. He also maintained that there were
three single cells in Norway and approximately 15 to 80 in Europe, and
that the cells have no contact with one another because of the risk of
being detected by the intelligence service in the various countries.
The Court believes that the defendant may have
various reasons for insisting on the existence of the Knights Templar.
By anchoring the acts for which he is indicted in an alleged
organisation, he can give others an impression of grandiosity and
legitimacy and can thereby also help promote future recruitment. In
addition to this, an alleged organisation can give rise to fear in the
population, a motive which goes to the very core of the terrorism
provision on which the indictment is based. Retracting what he has
said about the Knights Templar, which forms such a vital part of the
compendium, can ultimately appear to be psychologically or
ideologically impossible.
Ever since the defendant was apprehended, he has
been reluctant to answer questions about the Knights Templar,
including questions about its supporters and foundation, despite the
fact that other information has flowed from him like «water from a
faucet», to use the words of the expert witness Husby. As mentioned
above, he has also toned down his presentation of the organisation and
significance of the members. During the compulsory observation, he did
not focus on the Knights Templar according to the observation team
from Dikemark. The Court is also of the opinion that these
circumstances speak against concluding that the defendant carries a
genuine psychotic conviction about the organisation’s existence.
The expert witnesses Aspaas and Tørrissen believe
that the defendant suffers from personality disorders, which they
believe can explain a lot of his symptomatology. One may query whether
these expert witnesses’ interpretations of potentially psychotic
symptoms were influenced by them having found, on possibly shaky
grounds, such alternative explanation models.
The expert witnesses performed, inter alia on the
basis of a SCID-II interview based on the parallel US diagnostic
system, a thorough review of the special criteria for various
personality disorders in ICD-10 and concluded that the defendant had
the diagnoses «F60.8 Other specified personality disorders,
narcissistic», and «F60.2 Dissocial personality disorder». The Board
of Forensic Medicine stated in its letter of 31 May 2012 to Oslo
District Court that it can not «see from the premises that it has been
adequately discussed whether the observee from childhood and/or
adolescence displayed firmly entrenched and persistent behaviour
patterns which were expressed through rigid reactions to a broad range
of personal and social situations».
Under the general criteria for personality
disorders in the Green Book, the personality deviation must be stable
and of long duration, «having its onset in late childhood or
adolescence». In the US diagnostic system, from which the diagnosis of
narcissistic personality disorder is taken, the time of onset is
specified to «the beginning of early adulthood». The expert witnesses
seem to agree that the personality deviation must have manifested
itself before the age of 18 years. In their supplementary report, the
expert witnesses Aspaas and Tørrissen elaborated on the examples of
dissocial characteristics from the defendant’s childhood, adolescence
and early adulthood, maintaining their previous explanation for the
manifestation of his narcissistic characteristics. At the trial,
Aspaas specified that the narcissistic personality disorder was the
main diagnosis.
The Court has not considered how developed and
comprehensive the personality deviation must have been before the age
of 18 years to satisfy the general criteria for a personality disorder
in the Green Book. Beyond the methodological source of error as to
interpretation now discussed, the diagnosing of personality disorders
does not have any direct impact on the question of the defendant’s
criminal sanity. Nevertheless, the Court mentions that the diagnosis
«F60.2 Dissocial personality disorder» found little support during the
presentation of the other evidence. As will be discussed below, the
diagnosis «F60.8 Other specified personality disorders, narcissistic»,
was however supported by therapeutic health personnel at Ila who where
part of the specialist health service. Randi Rosenqvist also took note
of the defendant’s narcissistic personality characteristics.
Still the Court finds no grounds for disavowing the
expert witnesses Aspaas and Tørrissen’s assessments of the psychosis
question on the grounds that the general criteria for personality
disorders in ICD-10 have possibly not been met. Irrespective of
whether the defendant meets the general criteria for a personality
disorder, the Court takes for a fact that he displays both dissocial
and narcissistic personality characteristics.
6.6 Other health personnel
The Court now moves to account for the therapeutic
and advisory health personnel’s diagnostic assessments of the
defendant, which are more or less consistent with the assessments of
the expert witnesses Aspaas and Tørrissen.
The Court said initially that the defendant has not
had any contact with the specialist health service for mental
disorders prior to 22 July 2011. The medical records from his regular
general physician do not contain information about mental disorders
either, apart from some incidents of acute stress/situational
imbalance with sleeplessness from 1998. The defendant underwent
plastic nose surgery in 1999 because he wanted a «straight profile».
The Court relies on the medical examination where a
blood sample was taken on 23 July 2011 between 01:30 and 02:00 hrs,
reported on page 37 of Aspaas and Tørrissen’s report. The clinical
state of the defendant was described as follows:
«inconspicuous, but the observee has dilated pupils
consistent with the effect of Ephedrine, which he informed us that he
had taken. Dilated pupils can also be consistent with mental stress.
Seems tired. The conclusion is: slightly under the influence».
The evaluation reported on page 38 states the
following:
«The defendant is calm during the examination. He
explains things adequately and responds to all questions without any
conspicuous hesitation. He cooperates adequately, except that he says
that he does not wish his face to be photographed.»
Furthermore, the defendant has had regular contact
with the prison health service at Ila Preventive Detention and
Security Prison from the time he was remanded in custody on 26 July
2011. Neither the prison physician nor the psychiatric nurse found any
signs of psychosis, either when he was admitted or later, according to
the notes in the medical records referred to in the expert witnesses
Aspaas and Tørrissen’s report.
In September 2011, the prison health service
referred the defendant to the specialist health service of Bærum
District Psychiatric Centre (Bærum DPS), inter alia, to assess if
there was any suicide risk. Arnhild Flikke, senior medical officer and
psychiatrist, had her first talk with the defendant on 9 September
2011. In her notes from this first talk, included in the expert
witnesses Aspaas and Tørrissen’s report on page 148, she writes the
following:
«His political conceptions are extreme, but I do
not consider that they represent any flawed perception of reality in a
psychotic sense, based on my knowledge about common thoughts and ideas
in rightwing extremist circles (Islam is seen as the external enemy
and most politicians and journalists are seen as the internal enemy
who must be defeated to save the nation). He appears capable of seeing
that others will perceive his views as extreme.
He seems to think that his role in the development
is important, but not that he is absolutely vital for the development,
compare the statement that he sees himself as a foot soldier.»
During her talk with the defendant on 16 September
2011, Flikke did a number of tests, inter alia, SCID-II with
personality disorders in mind, and found that he met the criteria for
narcissistic personality disorder.
Flikke has had weekly talks with the defendant, of
which ten talks alone with him and eight or nine talks together with
Eirik Johannesen, a specialist psychologist, also at Bærum District
Psychiatric Centre. At the trial, Flikke explained that she after each
talk concluded that the defendant was not psychotic. She talked with
the defendant about politics, the Knights Templar and his
selfperception. She has also read parts of the compendium and seen the
defendant’s «propaganda video», without having observed any bizarre or
other psychotic delusions. She explained that she was very surprised
about the conclusion in the expert witnesses Husby and Sørheim’s
report and that she then made a thorough assessment of possible
diagnoses. In a memo of 9 December 2011, quoted on page 150 of the
expert witnesses Aspaas and Tørrissen’s report, she writes, inter alia,
the following:
«1) Serious mental disorder. If one disregards a
transient psychosis, I believe, based on the information I have
gathered so far, that there are more indications which speak in favour
of a delusional disorder than paranoid schizophrenia, if one is to
take his views of society and his own potential role, as delusions. My
conclusion is that I do not perceive his conceptions as psychotic but
rather as an expression of rightwing extremism, and I do therefore not
conclude with this diagnosis. […]
Conclusion/action: Based on my assessment, he meets
the criteria for a personality disorder dominated by dissocial and
narcissistic characteristics, and I consequently conclude with these
to diagnoses.»
Moreover, Flikke has said that after she received
the report by the expert witnesses Husby and Sørheim, she decided to
hire Johannesen, a specialist psychologist, to do independent
examinations of the defendant. From 23 December 2011, Johannesen had a
total of 20 talks with the defendant, of which more than half alone
with him and the rest together with Flikke. Johannesen has also had
talks with the defendant at Ila during the 10-week trial. The talks
between Johannesen and the defendant addressed, inter alia, the
defendant’s political views and his selfperception. In his assessment,
following a talk on 27 January 2012, included in the expert witnesses
Aspaas and Tørrissen’s report on page 157,
Johannesen writes the following:
Assessment/further treatment: The patient appears
unchanged from last time and the suicide risk is still considered low.
Still nothing has come up in our talk which would corroborate the
patient suffering from an active psychosis disorder. The patient
expresses a strong sense of paranoid and conspiratorial thinking,
shows little emotionality in his communication and appears to be
almost totally unaffected by the mass murders he has carried out. In
the opinion of the undersigned, this can still be understood rather as
a sign of the patient’s probable personality disorders with the
extensive use of primitive defence mechanisms to maintain a grandiose
selfimage. During our talks, there has been no indication that the
patient meets the criteria for an axis 1 disorder.» (Psychosis is an
axis 1 disorder.)
During the main hearing, Johannessen explained that
his observations mainly coincide with those of the expert witnesses
Aspaas and Tørrissen. He found neither bizarre nor other psychotic
delusions. With the exception of how he speaks of his ideology, the
defendant showed flexibility and the ability to talk in a nuanced way.
In addition to consultations with treating health
personnel, as described above, Randi Rosenqvist has assessed the
defendant and conversed with him on three occasions. On 18 August
2011, she wrote a memorandum based on the media coverage of the case
and the staff’s descriptions of the defendant, but without having
examined him herself. In the memorandum, included on pages 161–162 in
the expert witnesses Aspaas and Tørrissen’s report, she writes that
upon assessing his state of mind, she gave importance to:
«the defendant’s thorough preparations, ability to
plan, good impulse control, ability to do «double bookkeeping»; he is
able to sort what he wishes to go public about, and what he does not
wish to announce until at a dramatic moment in time. This requires
good cognitive functioning, the ability to judge what is worthwhile to
disclose and what should be kept secret, and again, good impulse
control. What is remarkable about A is, the way I see it now, his
distinct narcissistic personality with grandiose delusions. He has
also demonstrated the ability not to show empathy with victims; to
which extent this indicates a fundamental relational disorder, pure
dissociality or for instance a schizotype disorder, I would need more
information to assess. In the information I have on A, there are no
facts signalling psychotic functioning today, although how he regards
himself indicates a rather flawed perception of reality.»
Following her first consultation with the defendant
on 1 November 2011, rendered on pages 162–163 in the expert witnesses
Aspaas and Tørrissen’s report, [Dr.] Rosenqvist writes as follows:
«Assessment: I do not find any signs of psychotic
functioning. However, I am not certain that he speaks the truth,
although he tries to give that impression. We might thus have a
hypothesis that he redefines the information he receives on a
psychotic basis and thus has a flawed perception of the reality in
which he has lived. I find this farfetched. I find it more likely that
he, like most of us, places information and experiences into the world
view he has formed. Thus he has his own point of view confirmed. In
this process he forms his own understanding, through which he
consciously or unconsciously tries to manipulate the surroundings.»
During the main hearing, Rosenqvist explained that
after having read the report from the expert witnesses Husby and
Sørheim, she had another consultation with the defendant in which she
made a more detailed assessment of the psychotic symptoms where they
were described. She found the defendant’s comments eccentric, but
still not psychotic. In Rosenqvist’s memorandum after this
consultation on 19 December 2011, included on page 164 in the expert
witnesses Aspaas and Tørrissen’s report, she makes the following
summary:
«Summarized assessment: Based on the Head of
Department’s log and my own consultation with A, I find him to be in
good mental shape. I perceive his deviant comments as an expression of
an extreme ideology. In no way as a psychotic perception of reality.
However, the forensic psychiatric experts, who have had considerably
more information on him than I have, will assess this.
We know, from history, many sects of religious or
other ideological basis in which the members advocate notions of the
world and the hereafter shared by few others. Such sects may be quite
small or include many people. Although some of these sects may be
based on a charismatic leader with delusions and experiences out of
touch with reality, for instance based on epilepsy or transient toxic
psychoses, this does not mean that all the members have delusions in
psychiatric terms, or other serious psychopathology. We know that such
sects seek internal confirmation, and may for a long time
(generations) maintain notions in no way shared by society at large.
I believe that A is within such a system. It is
unclear to me to which extent he has many people who share his
opinions, but he has expressed to me himself that he has based a lot
on the British, or rather English movement and [has] not sought
contact with the Norwegians of the same ideology, although there are
thousands of them, according to him. As long as he stays safe in this
universe, we might say that he lives in a «bubble», but that he lives
reasonably well in this «bubble».»
During the main hearing, Rosenqvist stated that she
still did not assess the defendant’s extreme thoughts as psychotic
delusions, but rather as thoughts of grandeur. The last time
Rosenqvist visited the defendant was in March 2012, and she still did
not find any psychotic conceptions. Still, she did not disregard the
possibility that the defendant might turn seriously ill if the
«bubble» in which he lives, were to burst, so that he would have to
fully comprehend the atrocious acts he has committed.
The Court remarks in closing that the police
officers who conducted the long and numerous interviews with the
defendant, did not seem to have reacted to his state of mind either.
The police officer who did the sevenhourlong interview with the
defendant on Utøya immediately after the arrest, writes e.g. in his
closing remarks:
«The accused spoke without problems throughout the
conversation. He appeared perfectly lucid and reflected. The accused
gave his statement in a coherent and detailed manner.»
Police officer Geir Egil Løken stated at the trial
that his main impression of the defendant in court is the same as
during the police interviews. The defendant was never at any time
during the 220 hours of police interviews considered to be in need of
health services in relation to the interviews.
The review shows that neither treating nor advisory
health personnel have found signs of bizarre or other psychotic
delusions in the defendant. Except for psychologist Eirik Johannessen,
they have all examined him also prior to the first forensic
psychiatric report was submitted and before he had access to the
media. The Court finds that this unanimity provides solid support to
the assessment made by the expert witnesses Aspaas and Tørrissen that
the defendant was not psychotic. As already mentioned, the defendant
is a person who is more than happy to talk about the subjects that
interest him, except for the Knights Templar.
6.7 Compulsory observation
Oslo District Court decided, as mentioned above in
section 6.2, that the defendant was to be subjected to compulsory
psychiatric examination for up to four weeks, pursuant to the Penal
Code section 167. For security reasons it was simultaneously decided
that this examination should take place at Ila Prison and Detention
Centre. The psychiatric experts Aspaas and Tørrissen had already asked
for such an examination, whereas the psychiatric experts Husby and
Sørheim, who had already submitted their statement, did not see any
need for it.
The examination was done by an observation team
from Oslo University Hospital, Department Dikemark, in the period from
29 February to 21 March 2012. In the final report from Dikemark, by
the psychiatrist in charge, María Sigurjónsdóttir, included in expert
witnesses Aspaas and Tørrissen’s statement on pages 165–181, the
following is written about the actual observation team:
«The observation team was an interdisciplinarily
composed group of authorized health personnel employed at the Regional
Security Department Helse Sør-Øst [Health South-East], Dikemark, Oslo
University Hospital. All members of the observation team have been
employed with the Regional Security Department Helse Sør-Øst for some
time and have participated in examinations of patients with violent
behaviour, where the objective is to clarify whether the patients have
psychoses, drug addiction issues and/or personality disorders.
Everybody on the observation team participate in the treatment of
patients admitted to the Department.
The observation team consisted of altogether 18
persons. Of these, there were 12 nurses (of whom nine were psychiatric
nurses), three auxiliary nurses (of whom two with further studies in
psychiatry), one clinical social worker, one psychologist and one
psychiatrist. Everybody on the observation team also had further
studies in various fields within mental health work in addition to
their mentioned professional degrees. The observation team’s
collective work experience in mental health care is extensive. The
observers of the observation team have worked in mental health care
for an average of 21 years, (6 years – 34 years, median 19.5 years).»
(Aspaas and Tørrissen pages 167–168.)
On the importance of the observation, the expert
witnesses write the following on page 181:
«Observation in an institution implies that the
observee has been seen by qualified health personnel for three weeks.
The observational basis is thus significantly broader than what may be
achieved on the sole basis of conversations with the expert witnesses.
Onetoone conversations are mostly structured by the psychiatrists,
whereas roundtheclock observation in an institution implies that he is
seen in spontaneous, loosely organized everyday situations, such as
general small talk, meals, watching TV, playing games. Besides, it has
been possible to capture any possible reactions following police
interviews and the conversations with the expert witnesses, as well as
reactions to news and debate articles in the media on the 22 July
case. The observation made by RSA Dikemark has thus provided the
expert witnesses access to essential observational data that may not
be obtained in any other manner. »
As was heard in the statements of the participating
health personnel at the trial, no signs of psychosis were found in the
defendant during the observation. As regards his notions, the
following is quoted from the final Dikemark report:
«A significant part of the observee’s verbal
communication is characterized by the observee’s presentation of his
own political conviction. His discussion of this subject is not
perceived to have deadlocked thought patterns since he demonstrates
the ability to regulate and modify his own statements and arguments
based on feedback from observers. The observee is able to take in
comments from others and use this in further discussions. This happens
without any display of exaggerated affect on his part around such a
discussion, but a normal level of involvement.
The observee often specifies that he understands
that others may have other interpretations or meanings, and that this
may make others not share his political points of view. The observee
has shown the ability of reality testing in that on several occasions,
he has asked the observers on various topics of interest to him
(including politics), and wondered whether what he thinks and believes
has been credible or realistic. The observee has shown the ability to
regulate his own statements and thoughts based on feedback given to
him, or once the observers have given him more, and sometimes more
nuanced, information on a topic he already had an opinion about. The
observee may have eccentric interpretations of concepts and phenomena,
which the observers perceive to be adapted to his ideology. All words
and expressions used by the observee are understood and have meaning
to the observers.
The observee expresses his opinion to be that his
political ideology is necessary in order to understand his perception
of his situation and the process he believes he is in. This implies
great focus on himself and the political ideology he wishes to relay.
At the same time, he often says that he understands how other people
cannot quite follow his reasoning around some of his opinions, and
that others may react with shortterm horror. The observee says that
the acts on 22 July were horrendous, but must be seen in a longer time
perspective, up to 70 years.»
The Court finds no reason to go into further detail
on the report’s thorough description of the defendant’s conduct and
functioning, but mentions nevertheless that neither social nor
cognitive functional impairment was observed, nor thought disturbances
such as for instance neologisms.
Sigurdjónsdóttir stated at the trial that the
observation team had found on the internet the concepts used by the
defendant.
It cannot be ruled out that the defendant, helped
by his cognitive functions, has been able to conceal psychotic
symptoms during the entire observation period. The Court believes,
however, that this possibility is so slight, especially when it comes
to paranoid schizophrenia, that the Court can disregard it. The Court
thus also finds that the observation of the defendant pursuant to the
Criminal Procedure Act section 167 provides solid supports to the
experts Aspaas and Tørrissen’s assessment that the defendant was not
psychotic.
6.8 Summary
The above review shows that we are faced with two
teams of expert witnesses with qualitatively different diagnostic
assessments of the defendant. Where the experts Husby and Sørheim find
psychotic delusions, the experts Aspaas and Tørrissen find extreme
political opinions, combined with conscious disregard for opposing
views. The two teams of experts have consistently made different
assessments of the general criteria of interest for schizophrenia in
ICD-10, and on different grounds they have concluded that the
defendant does not meet the criteria for paranoid psychosis.
Although none of the experts believe the defendant
to be a borderline case, there seems to be agreement that he is «a
special case», as the experts Aspaas and Tørrissen write to conclude
their supplementary report. The experts Husby and Sørheim touch upon
similar ideas when they in connection with the danger assessment
described the defendant’s «uncommon symptom profile» with a
combination of affective flattening, persistent homicidal thoughts,
solid delusions of a right to select victims and kill, combined with
the lack of any identifiable cognitive impairment and with no
disturbing sensory delusions like hallucinosis.
The Court itself is struck by the defendant’s wordy
presentation of his fanatic farright extremist attitudes mixed with
pretentious historical parallels and infantile symbolism. His
conceptions are accompanied by an unfettered and cynical justification
of the acts of violence as being «cruel, but necessary». A recurring
question during the trial has furthermore been the importance of the
reported acts for the diagnostication. However, as was pointed out
during several of the testimonies given by the expert witnesses,
glorification of violence or extreme acts of violence do not form part
of the ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for psychosis.
Of all the health professionals that have assessed
the defendant’s mental health, it is only the experts Husby and
Sørheim who have found psychosis. The Court has assessed the
possibility of the defendant having being able to hide any psychotic
symptoms by means of his cognitive functions. The evidence presented
during the trial does however provide little support for such a
possibility, which in any case would not explain why the health
personnel providing treatment and advice at Ila did not find any
psychotic symptoms before the first forensic psychiatric report was
presented and the ban on media access was lifted. The Court believes
that the diagnostic disagreement is mainly due to differing
interpretations of similar observations; however with the added fact
that the defendant gradually has moderated his statements from when
the acts were committed and until the trial was concluded.
What distinguishes Husby and Sørheim’s diagnostic
interpretations from those of the others is primarily that they
refrain from assessing the defendant’s extreme statements and use of
concepts in the light of the farright extremist subculture of which he
claims to be a part. With respect to this, the Court makes reference
to the comments to the general criteria for schizophrenia in the Green
Book on page 65, where there is an express warning against «falsepositive
assessments, especially where culturally or subculturally influenced
modes of expression and behaviour or a subnormal level of
intelligence, are involved». Professor Malt stated that on a general
basis, there is reluctance to diagnosing ideas concerning politics,
religion and love. In addition, the interpretations of the experts
Husby and Sørheim, as already mentioned by the Court, seem to be
founded on an application of central fundamental criteria for
schizophrenia that is not common in scientific or clinical practice.
Although the defendant is a special case, there is no basis in sources
of law for departing from the recognised diagnostic criteria for
psychosis.
It falls outside the scope of the law’s object of
proof to decide whether the defendant’s gruesome acts of terrorism
have a more profound psychological cause. Any such causal
relationships are not covered by a criteriabased diagnostic system and
they thus fall outside of the mandate of the expert witnesses. On its
part, the Court refrains from engaging in such assessments, which in
any case would have to be speculative. The Court still assumes that
the defendant’s capacity to carry out the reported acts may partially
be explained by a combination of fanatic rightwing extremist ideology,
the intake of performanceenhancing substances and possible
autosuggestion in combination with pathological or deviant personality
traits.
Upon an overall assessment, the Court finds it has
been proved beyond any reasonable doubt that the defendant was not
psychotic at the time the crimes were committed, cf. the Penal Code,
section 44. Consequently, the defendant shall be punished for his
acts.
7. The fixing of the sentence
It is stated in the indictment that the prosecuting
authority made the reservation that it might submit a plea for
punishment. At the trial, the prosecutors submitted a petition in the
alternative for preventive detention. The Court assumes that the
defendant in these circumstances can be sentenced to punishment even
though the prosecuting authority principally has brought proceedings
pursuant to the Criminal Procedure Act, section 2 No. 1 concerning
commitment to compulsory mental health care.
The defendant is criminally sane and shall be
sentenced to punishment. In the case of a violation of the Penal Code,
section 147a, the main rule of the Penal Code is that a prison
sentence shall be imposed. The maximum sentence is 21 years of
imprisonment. Imprisonment is a sentence for a specific term, where
the person convicted shall be released when the specified time has
been served.
When imprisonment is deemed to be insufficient to
protect society, a sentence of preventive detention may be imposed
instead of a sentence of imprisonment, cf. the introductory part of
the Penal Code section 39c. In addition to the basic requirement
concerning society’s need for protection, the requirements in the said
provision’s no. 1 or no. 2 must be met. It is alternative no. 1 that
is of interest in the case at hand. This alternative requires a
serious crime among those described therein to have been committed. In
addition there must be an imminent risk that the offender will again
commit such a serious crime. The risk of a repeat offence must be
serious and real, and it is to be assessed on the basis of the
situation at the time of the delivery of the judgment.
The Court is in no doubt that both requirements in
section 39c no. 1 are fulfilled.
The violation of the Penal Code section 147a by
means of murder and attempted murder is among the crimes that can lead
to a sentence of preventive detention.
Furthermore, at the time of the delivery of the
judgment there is an imminent risk that the defendant will commit new
murders and serious acts of violence. The Court makes reference to the
fact that the defendant believes that the murders at the Government
District and at Utøya were legitimate acts, and that extreme violence
is a necessary means to achieve his political goals. The defendant has
in court also related his alternative plans, like blowing up the Royal
Palace and newspaper editorial offices, and killing journalists at the
SKUP conference. The murders at the Government District, the murders
at Utøya and the defendant’s plans demonstrate the extreme violence he
has the will and capacity to carry out. The defendant has furthermore
stated that there will be more terror attacks; this is also written in
his compendium. The thought of extreme violence and murder is
evidently stimulating to the defendant. This was clearly seen in court
when he described how he had planned to kill Gro Harlem Brundtland by
decapitation. The defendant seemed excited during the description and
gave the impression of enjoying telling about it. In its assessment of
the danger, the Court has also attached importance to the defendant
having demonstrated a capacity for planning the acts of terrorism
without being discovered.
The Court also makes reference to the fact that the
courtappointed expert witnesses Aspaas and Tørrissen on page 308 of
their report conclude that there is a «high risk of serious acts of
violence in the future», and in connection with this they make
reference to the defendant expressing that violence and terror are
necessary to have his extreme political views prevail. The
courtappointed expert witnesses Husby and Sørheim also concluded in
their report that the risk of future violence was very high (page
241). When deciding what importance to attach to the assessment made
by the latter experts, it must however be taken into consideration
that their danger assessment is based on the precondition of psychotic
delusions.
The basic requirement of protection of society is
linked to the risk of a repeat offence, but when assessing the need
for such protection the perspective must be turned towards the future,
cf. Rettstidende [Norwegian Supreme Court Law Reports] 2007 page 187.
There is no doubt that a sentence of imprisonment
based on ordinary principles of sentencing in the case at hand would
have been set at the maximum sentence under the law; 21 years of
imprisonment.
The defendant has, after several years of planning,
carried out a bomb attack aimed at the central government
administration and thus also at the country’s democratic institutions.
He has killed 77 persons, most of whom were youths who were
mercilessly shot face to face. The defendant subjected a large number
of persons to acute mortal danger. Many of those affected have
sustained considerable physical and/or psychological injuries. The
bereaved and next of kin are left with unfathomable grief. The
material damage is enormous. The cruelties of the defendant’s acts are
unparalleled in Norwegian history.
It follows from the Supreme Court’s practice that
it takes a lot to assume that such a long sentence for a specific term
is not considered sufficient to protect society against the danger a
convicted person represents at the time of the delivery of the
judgment, cf. Rettstidende [Norwegian Supreme Court Law Reports] 2003
page 1778 para. 19. Notwithstanding this, the Court is in no doubt
that also the basic requirement for preventive detention is fulfilled
in this special case.
If the defendant is to serve a 21-year prison
sentence without release on probation, he will be 53 years old at the
time of his release. Even though 21 years is a very long sentence, the
Court finds it improbable that the element of time per se will reduce
the risk of a repeat offence. At the time of release the democracy
that the defendant wants to abolish, will still exist. Norway will
still have inhabitants of different ethnic backgrounds, different
cultures and different religions. The defendant expressed in court
that he wants to continue his political struggle behind the prison
walls. After having served his sentence, the defendant will most
probably have the will and capacity to carry out many and very brutal
murders. The experts Aspaas and Tørrissen, who believe the defendant
suffers from personality disorders, write on page 309 of their
statement that «[t]he kind of personality pathology that has been
found is not very accessible to therapy. Factors that worsen the
prognosis of violence will be close contact with environments that
acknowledge and support the observee’s political ideology and views on
political violence». The way the Court sees it, a similar prognosis
must be assumed even if the defendant’s personality were not to fulfil
the fundamental diagnostic criteria for personality disorder, being
rather the manifestation of deviant personality traits. This means
that the defendant also after having served a 21-year prison sentence
will be a very dangerous man. Against this background, the Court is of
the view that the requirements for imposing a sentence of preventive
detention are fulfilled, and thus believes that a sentence of
preventive detention should be imposed.
A sentence of preventive detention can be imposed
for a term that should not exceed 15 years and that cannot exceed 21
years, cf. the Penal Code section 39e. On application by the
prosecuting authority, the Court may upon the expiry of the fixed term
extend the preventive detention by 5 years at a time. The majority of
the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Justice stated in the
Recommendation to the Odelsting No. 34 (1996–1997) page 22 that «a
sentence imposing preventive detention shall not be for a shorter term
than what the term of an unconditional prison sentence would be […]».
The Court finds it clear that in the case at hand, a sentence of 21
years of preventive detention must be imposed. Considering the murders
and attempted murders committed by the defendant, in conjunction with
the risk of a repetition of such crimes, society must in the case at
hand employ the maximum protection admitted under the law. When
determining the sanction, no emphasis is given to the fact that the
defendant has acknowledged having committed the criminal acts.
In addition to the maximum term, the Court is of
the opinion that a minimum period must be determined. The significance
of the minimum period is that a release on probation pursuant to the
Penal Code, section 39f, cannot take place prior to its expiry. The
minimum period cannot exceed ten years, cf. the Penal Code, section
39e second subsection. It follows from what is stated above concerning
society’s need for protection that the minimum period must be set to
ten years.
8. Costs of the case
In their plea, in the alternative, for punishment,
the prosecutors have not included a demand for costs to be imposed.
Since the Court nonetheless may impose costs in case of a conviction,
the Court shall briefly note that the defendant neither today nor in
the future will have the financial capacity to pay costs. The Court
makes reference to the presentation of his financial situation at the
time of his arrest in point 3.2. After his arrest, the defendant has
not had any income. The Court makes further reference to the fact that
the defendant’s serving of the sentence of preventive detention will
severely limit his possibilities of income. Even if he were to receive
income while serving his sentence, already claims against the
defendant for reimbursement of compensations paid through the state
compensation scheme for victims of violent crime will far exceed any
such income. Consequently, costs are not imposed; cf. section 437
third subsection of the Criminal Procedure Act.
The judgment is unanimous.
Conclusion of the judgment
A, born *.*.1979, is sentenced for violation of the
Penal Code section 147a first subsection paras. a) and b), cf. the
Penal Code sections 148 first subsection first penalty alternative and
233 first and second subsections, and 233 first and second
subsections, cf. section 49, and the Penal Code section 147a first
subsection para. b), cf. sections 233 first and second subsections,
and 233 first and second subsections, cf. section 49, all seen in
conjunction with the Penal Code section 62, to preventive detention
pursuant to the Penal Code section 39c no. 1, for a term of twentyone
(21) years and a minimum period of ten (10) years, cf. the Penal Code
section 39e first and second subsections.
From the said term and the said minimum period
there shall be a deduction of four hundred and fortyfive (445) days
for time spent in custody.