A man (24) without legal residence anywhere in the Schengen area is charged with raping a child under 14 years of age, possessing abuse material on his telephone and assaulting a total of three young girls. On Monday Hordaland District Court remanded him in custody for four new weeks.
The man was arrested on Wednesday 24 June. Two days later the prosecution requested his detention, and it was granted. The court bases the detention on both the risk of repetition and the risk that he will abscond.
The charges are serious. The most serious count concerns rape by intercourse of a child under 14 years of age – an offence with a penalty range of up to 15 years’ imprisonment and a minimum sentence of three years.
In addition he is charged with possession of abuse material and with sexually offensive behaviour. The court summarises that he is charged with «sexual assaults and sexually offensive behaviour against three young girls».
Kept abuse videos on his mobile
The police seized his telephone when he was arrested in June. It contained abuse material. One of the videos of the victimised girl is from October 2024.
The man himself provided the code to the police. But the court does not place much credence in the idea that he was unaware of the content:
– Even though the accused has been aware that the police have been investigating him for sexual offences, he has continued to store abuse videos of the victim on his telephone.
Arrested before – released
This is a central point in the ruling: The man was already under investigation for sexual offences when he continued to store the material.
In an interview last year the man said that he had videos of himself and several ex-girlfriends on his devices. He would not give names. When asked about age he replied that they were 17.
Everyone he had ever had a sexual relationship with had been of «the right age», he explained according to the ruling. His understanding was that in Norway it is legal to have sex with persons over 16 years of age.
The man also tried to make himself younger than he is. In court it was argued that he was born in 2006. The court rejected this and took as its basis that he was born in 2001.
This is not the first time the man has been held in custody in the same case complex. He was arrested on Stord on 12 June last year and held in custody until 2 July 2025. Both Hordaland District Court and Gulating Court of Appeal then assessed that there was reasonable grounds for suspicion.
He was nevertheless released – and is now charged again, with more counts than before.
Unlawful in the whole of Schengen
It is the immigration picture that weighs heaviest when the court fears that the man will evade punishment.
He is originally a Gambian citizen. According to the police he had lived in Italy for seven years, where his residence expired in 2024. In Norway his temporary residence expired on 29 March this year. He has not complied with the deadlines from the UDI and UNE.
The police’s conclusion is clear:
– The police have taken as their basis that the accused is staying unlawfully in the entire Schengen area.
The man is not in work, is about to lose his housing and has had absences from school. He has already been given advance notice of deportation and registration in the Schengen Information System (SIS). If he is registered, he will receive an entry ban to the whole of Schengen – a block that can first be deleted when he leaves the area.
The court considers that neither reporting requirements nor passport seizure are sufficient:
– As regards evasion, reporting requirements and passport seizure will not be sufficient within the EU and Schengen area.
The police expect to complete the investigation within a week. The prosecution is to take a position on the case no later than 10 July, and the Director of Public Prosecutions has prosecution competence for some of the counts. A trial is expected at the earliest in the autumn.
The man may be held in custody until 24 July at 15.00. He was not present when the ruling was given. It may be appealed within two weeks.