Former employee charged with sexual offenses against multiple minors in Eastern Norway

In January, police received a report from a child welfare institution in Eastern Norway, where an employee was accused of sexually assaulting a girl at the facility. During the police investigation, it was revealed that there could be multiple victims. The man is now charged with sexual offenses against five girls, all of whom were residents at the institution and between the ages of 14 and 16 at the time of the alleged incidents.

The former employee faces several charges, including sexual intercourse with minors under 16, attempted rape of minors under 16, threats, and instances of sexually inappropriate behavior toward minors, as well as similar behavior toward individuals over 16. Additionally, he is charged with receiving and storing several sexualized images of one of the victims. The accused’s lawyer has declined to comment on the case or his client’s stance on the charges.

One of the first victims tragically took her own life shortly after police interviewed three other victims. The police attorney emphasized that this is a serious matter that had affected the victim during the inquiry. The accused worked at the institution from September 2022 until January of this year, with the alleged offenses occurring in the fall and winter of 2023.

The man has no prior serious criminal history, only having received traffic fines, and he had not been employed at any other Norwegian child welfare institutions. He was arrested during a search of his home but has since been released. Authorities do not believe there is a risk of evidence being tampered with or a risk of re-offending, as the man is no longer employed at the institution. The timing for trial proceedings is still undetermined.