Court dismisses appeal in alleged armed robbery, leaving man in custody

A man suspected of taking part in an armed robbery of a boy in Reykjavík will remain in custody until 2 December after the Court of Appeal dismissed his challenge, mbl.is reported. The court did not consider the merits of the detention order because the appeal gave no reasons.

Reykjavík District Court ordered the man held on remand because it considered there was a risk he would commit further offences. He had asked for the order to be overturned or for his detention to be shortened. The police commissioner for the capital region sought to have the order upheld.

The Court of Appeal said a written appeal must state which ruling is being challenged, what changes are sought and the grounds for the appeal. The man’s appeal did not set out any grounds, but said he reserved the right to submit them later. The court dismissed the case on that basis, leaving the district court’s ruling unchanged.

According to police information cited in the district court ruling, the boy said four men approached him threateningly as he was walking home. He tried to get away, but one of the men caught him and held a firearm to his face.

The men demanded a package the boy had collected from a parcel locker and his mobile phone. They then accessed his bank accounts through the phone and transferred 120,000 krónur to another person’s account. When the boy said more money was in a locked account, one of the men produced a knife. The boy also said he was hit in the jaw and jabbed with a screwdriver taken from his work trousers. He suffered minor injuries, according to the police account.

The man is suspected in 14 other cases being handled by police and prosecutors, including alleged serious assaults, robberies, unlawful deprivation of liberty and weapons offences. His defence lawyer said he was a young and vulnerable person and argued that detention was a severe measure that should be proportionate.

The district court said there was reasonable suspicion of offences punishable by imprisonment and a risk that the man would continue offending if released. It cited the seriousness of the alleged conduct and a near-continuous series of offences since August, and said no other measure appeared sufficient to stop it at this stage.