Gjert Ingebrigtsen handed suspended prison sentence and fined for hitting daughter with a wet towel - but ex-coach acquitted of charges against superstar son
Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s father has been acquitted of abusing the Olympic star - but found guilty of hitting his daughter with a wet towel.
And a court in Norway has handed Gjert Ingebrigtsen, who was also the former coach of Jakob and siblings, a suspended 15-day sentence plus a fine of £745.
But at the end of a trial that has gripped the country for three months, the court ruled that there was "reasonable doubt" around the accusations faced regarding Jakob.
Multiple Olympic champion Jakob, who is currently recovering from injury, had claimed Gjert "beat me until I was sick" during the trial and alleged that the patriarch oversaw a childhood where they lived in fear. Gjert vehemently denied all accusations from the outset.
However the court found that there was insufficient evidence of Jakob being abused psychologically and physically with Gjert only being found guilty of striking Ingrid in the right cheek with a wet towel during an incident in early 2022.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen celebrates winning the world indoor 1500m title in March
"The decisive factor in the court’s conclusion was that there was no evidence that Gjert Ingebrigtsen created a continuous fear in his children," Gjert’s lawyers, John Christian Elden and Heidi Reisvang, said in a statement following the verdict.
"The court has particularly emphasized that several close family members and outside witnesses have not seen or experienced abuse."
Mette Yvonne Larsen, representing Jakob, said her client found the decision "very strange", adding: "You describe violence, you’re believed and yet he isn’t convicted.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
