Liland Affair
Encyclopedia
The Liland Affair was a Norwegian
murder
trial
, for the 1969 double murder in Fredrikstad, which gave rise to a miscarriage of justice
.
It started in December 1969, when two men were found murder
ed with an axe in the Norwegian town Fredrikstad
. In 1970 Per Kristian Liland was convicted for both murders. Already in the same year, the married couple Sten and Vibeke Ekroth started to collect information to the benefit of Liland, and private investigator
Tore Sandberg eventually joined the quest. The Supreme Court of Norway
rejected a retrial in 1976, but after having served the sentence he was released in 1993 and acquitted by the Eidsivating Court of Appeal
in 1994. Liland won a legal battle for monetary compensation in 1995, but died in 1996.
The affair became a grave embarrassment to the Norwegian legal court system.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
trial
Trial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
, for the 1969 double murder in Fredrikstad, which gave rise to a miscarriage of justice
Miscarriage of justice
A miscarriage of justice primarily is the conviction and punishment of a person for a crime they did not commit. The term can also apply to errors in the other direction—"errors of impunity", and to civil cases. Most criminal justice systems have some means to overturn, or "quash", a wrongful...
.
It started in December 1969, when two men were found murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed with an axe in the Norwegian town Fredrikstad
Fredrikstad
is a city and municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Fredrikstad....
. In 1970 Per Kristian Liland was convicted for both murders. Already in the same year, the married couple Sten and Vibeke Ekroth started to collect information to the benefit of Liland, and private investigator
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
Tore Sandberg eventually joined the quest. The Supreme Court of Norway
Supreme Court of Norway
The Supreme Court of Norway was established in 1815 on the basis of the Constitution of Norway's §88, prescribing an independent judiciary. It is located in Oslo and is Norway's highest court...
rejected a retrial in 1976, but after having served the sentence he was released in 1993 and acquitted by the Eidsivating Court of Appeal
Eidsivating Court of Appeal
Eidsivating Court of Appeal is the court of appeal located in Hamar, Norway. It serves the counties of Hedmark, Oppland and northern Akershus. In addition to Hamar, the court may meet in Lillehammer and Eidsvoll...
in 1994. Liland won a legal battle for monetary compensation in 1995, but died in 1996.
The affair became a grave embarrassment to the Norwegian legal court system.