Department manager Marianne Amundsen (51) was killed and colleague and case manager Ida Aulin was injured when the man attacked those inside a meeting room at Nav Årstad on 20 September last year.
On Monday, the man appeared in Hordaland District Court, accused of murder and attempted murder. He arrived in court just before 9:30 a.m. Via his defender, he gave consent for the press to take pictures of him.
Also present in court were several friends and colleagues of the aggrieved and bereaved. They held hands on their way into the courtroom, and will support colleagues and victim Ida Aulin, who will explain herself in court.
The courtroom is completely full and the press is therefore following the case from another courtroom.
Have video of the attack
During the case’s first day in court, the victim must explain himself. Later, the defendant must give his statement.
There are 28 people on the witness list. There were several eyewitnesses at the scene who saw the attack. There is also a video of the incident.
– There is absolutely no doubt that the defendant has committed the acts for which he is charged. He acted intentionally and was sane, said prosecutor May-Britt Erstad during his opening statement.
Changed opinion
When the indictment was brought out this summer, the public prosecutor believed that the man was insane when the murder took place.
But after a new assessment by psychiatric experts came to the table in the autumn, the charge was changed. The public prosecutor now believes that the man was criminally sane and announces a claim for defense punishment.
The defendant acknowledges the actual circumstances and criminal guilt, but believes he is insane.
– He apologizes most strongly to those affected. He would never have done these acts if he was healthy. It was a random attack, and was aimed at the Nav system, says defender Morten Grimstad.
Assistance lawyer May Britt Løvik and prosecutor May-Brit Erstad in Hordaland District Court on Monday.
Photo: Julianne Bråten Mossing / NRK
– Shouted “he has a knife”
The defendant was in regular contact with the office at Danmarksplass in Bergen and this Monday had an appointment with the office at 10.00.
The public prosecutor produced SMS exchanges which show that the meeting was arranged a month in advance, and the man turned up for the class fifteen minutes before. He passed a security guard in the audience reception, and was eventually called up for the start of the meeting.
As early as 10.02am, the emergency calls started coming in.
The man then pulled the knife out of his rucksack in the meeting room with the two Nav employees. Some of the witnesses in the audience reception hear someone shouting “he has a knife”.
50 stabs in 29 seconds
Prosecutor Erstad explained to the court that the defendant immediately attacked after pulling the knife out of his rucksack.
– Amundsen fell to the floor, while Aulin ran towards the door to the public reception. Then the defendant followed. It is probably here that Aulin was stabbed, explained the prosecutor.
The defendant then went back into the room, where he bent over Amundsen and continued the attack.
Amundsen was stabbed 47 times inside the meeting room. She died shortly afterwards, although health personnel arrived quickly and attempted life-saving first aid. Life was not to be saved.
– In the course of 29 seconds, Ida Aulin and Marianne Amundsen have suffered a total of 50 stab wounds, the prosecutor explained during his opening statement.
Bought a knife one week before
The man was arrested by the police at 10.08
The defendant used a knife that was bought at a kitchen shop six days before the meeting. After the incident, the defendant came out into the public reception.
– According to witnesses, he dropped the knife on the floor and said something like “I’m done”.
The court was shown pictures of the conversation room where the attack took place. The room had a total of two doors.
Psychologist Kristen Rasmussen and specialist in psychiatry Gunnar Johannessen are experts in the trial following the Nav attack.
Photo: Jon Bolstad / NRK
Angry at the Nav system
During the introductory lecture, the motive for the murder was questioned.
Ahead of the trial, defense attorney Morten Grimstad explained that the man felt overlooked and opposed by the Nav system.
In an interrogation after the arrest, the defendant pointed out that “he had a problem with the head of department who had changed him in relation to his children.”
– These statements lead to the questions: was the motive linked to the head of department? This will be revealed through the presentation of evidence, the prosecutor told the court.
She then told the police investigations related to the child. The conclusion is that the man has no children.
Had delusions
The defendant has been hospitalized for psychiatric observation for eight weeks. The man has been diagnosed with simple schizophrenia and delusional disorder, the prosecutor explained in court.
– Delusions are, among other things, linked to his claim that he is the father of a child who does not exist, said prosecutor Erstad.
According to the experts, a simple delusion will not lead to a distorted perception of reality otherwise, emphasized the prosecutor.
The extent to which the man had delusions and what kind of functional capacity the man had will be a central question during the trial.
Defense counsel for the accused man, Grimstad, believes that the man at the time of the act lacked an understanding of reality.
