Man is sentenced for family violence in Nigeria

Nigeria Family Violence Supreme CourtA man's sentence for family violence in Nigeria is upheld by the Norwegian Supreme Court . Note: The picture is totally unrelated to the story. Photo: Pixabay.com

Man is sentenced for family violence in Nigeria

The sentencing of a man convicted of family violence consisting of violence and threats to wife and children both in Norway – and during a temporary stay in Nigeria – was upheld by the Norwegian Supreme Court after his appeal. A similar case this week resulted in a re-trial.

 

The Supreme Court should in two cases this week decide whether the Norwegian Criminal Code applies to cases of abuse in close relations when the violence has partly occurred abroad.

The two cases had different outcomes.

The Supreme Court rejected the appeal from a man convicted to imprisonment for one year and three months in the Court of Appeals for violence and threats against his spouse and for hitting his children and subjecting them to mental abuse. The conditions the man is convicted of, started in Norway and continued during a temporary stay in Nigeria. In Nigeria, the man’s actions are not punishable by law.

The Supreme Court found that the relationship had to be viewed together and that the maltreatment that occurred in Nigeria could, therefore, be punished under Norwegian law.

Similar, but not identical

The second case the Supreme Court was to decide involves a woman who is sentenced to ten months in prison for the abuse of her daughter by the Court of Appeals. The maltreatment started in England and continued after moving to Norway.

The Supreme Court found that the verdict by the Court of Appeal must be lifted. This means that the case has to be dealt with again.

The Supreme Court points out that Norwegian law can not, as a general principle, be applied to acts abroad that are part of a continued crime. The Court of Appeal had also not assessed whether the acts of violence were punishable in England. In this case, it was not regarding a temporary stay abroad, as it is in the other case. In other words, she may not be punishable for her deeds in England before moving to Norway.

 

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today