Accused rapist to be held in jail for four weeks

Police carPolice car.Photo: Norway Today Media

A 25-year-old asylum seeker from an African country is suspected of three rapes or attempted rapes in Bergen. Now police are remanding  the man to custody for four weeks.

The man is incarcerated as of Saturday wrote BergensAvisen.

– Twelve days ago, a woman was raped in the city center, and we linked him to this case, said police prosecutor Inger Lise Høyland said.

The man was arrested after he allegedly attempted to rape a 24 year old woman in the area of Torget and Fosswinckels  in the center of Bergen at 2:20am Friday morning.

Police have put the man in custody for four weeks on the basis of recurring risk and risk of destruction of evidence. The suspect is an asylum seeker and has a temporary residence permit in Norway.

According to the police prosecutor, the man was also arrested last summer for an attempted rape, but this case was dismissed due to lack of evidence. He is now being charged with assault and sexually offensive behavior.

– In all three cases he targets women in their early 20s that move alone in the city at night, said Høyland.

Police will look at the investigation and see whether the 25-year-old can be linked to several unresolved cases.

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today