Appeals court keeps suspect in custody over 32 investigations

Iceland’s Court of Appeal has upheld a ruling keeping a man in pre-trial detention until November 17, citing the risk he would continue offending while his cases remain unresolved, mbl.is reports.

Police have 32 open cases under investigation in which the man is suspected of criminal conduct. They include theft, burglaries, drug offences, an aggravated assault with a bladed weapon, sexual offences and unlawful deprivation of liberty.

The appeals court ruling was issued on Friday and published today. The man had asked the court to overturn a Reykjavik District Court ruling from October 20, or alternatively to shorten the detention period. The appeals court upheld the lower court’s decision and found no grounds to reduce the period.

Twenty-eight of the cases date from this year, most from the past four to five months. Thirteen have been opened since the start of September. The man was arrested on the evening of October 19. Police said suspected drugs and steroids were among items found in his possession.

The cases under investigation mainly concern theft and break-ins, including burglaries of cars and buildings, as well as property damage, unlawful use, possession of drugs and alleged breaches of weapons and traffic laws. The man has admitted to some offences. At the District Court, he did not oppose the detention request but disputed the police account of the events. The court said descriptions of the alleged offences suggested he had been using drugs heavily in recent months.

One of the cases concerns a stabbing reported on July 14. According to a police report, the victim was taken to hospital after an attack in a room on the third floor of a building. The victim said a man with a particular tattoo had stabbed him; the detained man has a prominent tattoo on his neck. A witness in the room said the two men argued and that the suspect took out a knife and attacked the victim. The man declined to comment during questioning about the case.

The District Court found reasonable grounds to suspect the man of offences punishable by imprisonment and said the number and frequency of the alleged offences supported continued detention. It also noted police information that he had been convicted nine times since 2016, including for offences under the Penal Code, drug offences and traffic offences.