The Pocket Man
Encyclopedia
"The Pocket Man" is the name given by the Norwegian police
and media to a Norwegian
sexual molester. The man who has been at large since 1976, has been charged with committing sex crimes against minors
throughout Southern Norway. "The Pocket Man" might have lured boys in numerous localities and has by the Police been characterized as a "dangerous serial criminal
". The last known incident of the Pocket Man took place in Skjolden
in Luster
on June 14, 2006. The police have registered about 160 cases. The police allege that several occurrences also have not been reported. In August, 2009, the suspect was formally indicted and charged with 60 cases, including two cases of rape of small boys. He cannot be prosecuted for cases that are older than ten years. The suspect has admitted to involvement in 20 of the cases.
The identity of "The Pocket Man" was unknown to the police until, after several years of investigation, they identified a man from Bergen
who was arrested and indicted as the perpetrator on January 11, 2008
. The suspect remained anonymous until he was identified as Erik Andersen (born March 20, 1952) by Norway's largest daily Verdens Gang
on August 22, 2009.
"The Pocket Man" was during one period of the investigations known as "The Bandage Man", first time in a case from Bergen in 1980. The police realized that this was the same offender in the autumn of 2007.
Andersen was convicted and sentenced to a nine year containment sentence in June 2010.
in Bergen, Norway who ran his own garage, Eric Andersen Lakkeringsverksted. Andersen has been active in motor sports for several years, particularly as a trainer in Bergen Trial Team. He is divorced and has two children. Andersen sometimes spelled his name as Eric Andersen, despite the fact that his legal name is Erik Andersen. He was identified on the front cover of Verdens Gang
, the largest newspaper of Norway, on August 22, 2009. He was also identified by Bergens Tidende
the following day. Subsequently, he has been identified by Dagbladet
, Nettavisen
, TV 2
, Dagsavisen
, Bergensavisen
and Aftenposten
. Norwegian media had previously refrained from using his name and picture as requested by the police, in order not to harm the investigation. However, the investigation was completed in May 2009. Legally, the media are allowed to identify suspects in criminal cases. Bernt Olufsen
stated that Verdens Gang chose to identify him because of the scale and seriousness of the crimes, which according to Olufsen meant the public had a right to know his identity.
of "The Pocket Man" was the same in all known cases: The perpetrator tricked young boys to touch his genitals
, for instance by tricking them to "search for" a key in his pocket, where he had removed or cut a hole in the lining, or to adjust a bandage on his thigh. The more serious offense or offenses he is to have committed includes oral sex
, which in some cases border on the Norwegian criminal code's
definition of rape. The police allege that "The Pocket Man" on several occasions forced the boys to perform oral sex on him. Oral sex is equated with intercourse in the Norwegian penal code and has an upper limit of 21 years in prison, the maximum sentencing in Norway. The police have later informed that the most serious case has an upper limit of 15 years.
Other commons traits of the cases are:
, Bergen
in the latter half of 1976. During the first years the perpetrator is said to have lured children by asking them to help change a bandage in intimate places, and he was named "The Bandage Man". DNA evidence
procured in 2007 revealed that "The Bandage Man" was also active in Oslo
. The police therefore concluded that "The Bandage Man" and "The Pocket Man" were one and the same person.
As early as 1983 or 84 "The Pocket Man" made an attempt against two boys at Garnes in Bergen. The boys ran away.
On November 27, 1994 "The Pocket Man" struck at a kindergarten at Søndre Nordstrand
, Oslo. this is the earliest known offense by "The Pocket Man" in Oslo
. Throughout the 1990s all known offenses in Oslo took place during weekends, and other offenses all took place in Bergen (the distance between Oslo and Bergen is about 500 kilometers). Starting in 2000 this pattern began to change: Incidents were no longer recorded in the Bergen area. During the subsequent years the incidents were limited to the Oslo region, until 2003 when a tendency was noticed of offenses appearing in other localities throughout Southern Norway, in 2003 the person is alleged to have been both at Quality Hotel and Badeland in Sarpsborg
. Two incidents took place on July 13, 2002 in Sarons dal in Kvinesdal
and at Hamresanden camping
in Kristiansand
on July 12, 2003.
In January 2005 another incident took place in Sauda
, whereas an incident involving two victims took place in a swimming hall in Skjolden
on July 14, 2006. In October 2007 it became known that also Swedish
police were investigating whether "The Pocket Man" was behind an offense at Svinesund
.
The police in Ski
outside Oslo were given the task of initiating a more comprehensive investigation of the itinerant serial criminal in 2003. They began a cumbersome re-evaluation of the 70 registered cases from other police districts. The Ski police discovered that the evidence was basically quite flimsy, there was for instance a lack of such essentials as interrogations. In May 2004 the police were nowhere near a solution to the case, and the investigation was at that time closed down.
A new team which will be working exclusively on "The Pocket Man" was established in the first two weeks of 2008 in Bergen, where investigators believe the entire case may have begun. During the same period new tips arrived for this team of previously undisclosed incidents.
of several crime scenes, including one incident in Trondheim
, where "The Pocket Man" had been photographed by a surveillance camera on September 6, 2003. DNA
testing also showed that "The Bandage Man" and "The Pocket Man" were the same person.
A DNA sample located in the Norwegian Institute of Forensic Medicine taken of biological matter from a sexual offense case in 1995 revealed through a renewed analysis in 2007 that the sample originated from "The Pocket Man". Technically it was unfeasible to analyse the evidence in 1995, but it was stored for later analyses.
in 1995, and one in Bergen in 1997, "The Pocket Man" himself stated that, "I am from Moss". Kripos
(Norway's centralized crime investigation bureau for serious crime) believed in October 2007 that several named men from Oslo or Eastern Norway could possibly be "The Pocket Man". In connection with an incident in July 1999 at Nattland
, "The Pocket Man" however used an expression typical of the Bergen region, and Kripos obtained DNA samples from four individuals from the Bergen area in the autumn of 2007.
, in Bergen, the police apprehended the man whom they believe to be "The Pocket Man". A previously unpunished man in his fifties was apprehended. The man was taken subsequent to a DNA match. The police have announced that the man has left DNA evidence in five cases, and they have identified him via a video recording. On January 14 a court ruled that he would be placed in detention
for four weeks with mail and visitors control restrictions,. His defense attorney at that time was Tor Erling Staff. Information about the suspect that has later been published states that he is a multi-millionaire and that he has two children.
Before the apprehension a secret search was conducted in the person's house. One precondition for such a procedure is the offense has punishment limit of more than 10 years. Because the Norwegian criminal code equates oral sex and intercourse, the case has a punishement limit of 21 years, and hence the police were able to conduct a secret search.
It is not known whether secret searches have been conducted on the up to 639,000 Norwegian men who were born between 1950 and 1970, which were analysed on the background of electronic evidence. Nor is it known whether at any time they were informed that they had been exposed to such electronic investigation.
During later search
es the police have allowed journalists to photograph impounded material from the house of the charged individual.
Some have expressed the sentiment that the use of the terms "The Pocket Man" and "The Bandage Man" could give the impression that the offenses were of a less serious nature. Several newspapers are using the expression "The man charged with being The Pocket Man" about the apprehended man in order to avoid pre-judging him.
on the west coast in May 2004. The detained suspect has been charged with one of these assaults. The parents of the other boy has requested that their son not be included in the charges to spare him from further police questioning.
. Andersen was acquitted on one of the two rape charges, although the court found that Andersen was still guilty of abuse in that incident.
Andersen was also ordered to pay between NOK 20,000 and NOK 125,000 to each of his victims, in total NOK 2,525,000. He was also ordered to cover court costs totalling NOK 500,000.
Norwegian Police Service
The Norwegian Police Service is the official police force in Norway which are run by the Minister of Justice and Police. The department consists of 27 regional areas and seven national special forces. The department has about 11,000 employees....
and media to a Norwegian
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...
sexual molester. The man who has been at large since 1976, has been charged with committing sex crimes against minors
Minor (law)
In law, a minor is a person under a certain age — the age of majority — which legally demarcates childhood from adulthood; the age depends upon jurisdiction and application, but is typically 18...
throughout Southern Norway. "The Pocket Man" might have lured boys in numerous localities and has by the Police been characterized as a "dangerous serial criminal
Serial crime
Serial crime is generally defined as crimes in a serial or repetitive nature. However, according to criminologists, a habitual offender or a career criminal is not a serial criminal...
". The last known incident of the Pocket Man took place in Skjolden
Skjolden
Skjolden is a village in the municipality of Luster in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is located at the end of the Lustrafjord, a branch of the Sognefjord. Skjolden is the innermost point of the Sognefjord, and is the length of the Sognefjord is measured from Skjolden to Ytre Sula island...
in Luster
Luster, Norway
Luster is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative centre is Gaupne. Other villages include Skjolden, Hafslo, Jostedal, and Veitastrond....
on June 14, 2006. The police have registered about 160 cases. The police allege that several occurrences also have not been reported. In August, 2009, the suspect was formally indicted and charged with 60 cases, including two cases of rape of small boys. He cannot be prosecuted for cases that are older than ten years. The suspect has admitted to involvement in 20 of the cases.
The identity of "The Pocket Man" was unknown to the police until, after several years of investigation, they identified a man from Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
who was arrested and indicted as the perpetrator on January 11, 2008
2008 in Norway
-Incumbents:* Monarch - Harald V of Norway* Prime Minister - Jens Stoltenberg -Events:* January 1 – The Agency for Public Management and eGovernment is established....
. The suspect remained anonymous until he was identified as Erik Andersen (born March 20, 1952) by Norway's largest daily Verdens Gang
Verdens Gang
Verdens Gang , generally known under the abbreviation VG, is a Norwegian tabloid newspaper...
on August 22, 2009.
"The Pocket Man" was during one period of the investigations known as "The Bandage Man", first time in a case from Bergen in 1980. The police realized that this was the same offender in the autumn of 2007.
Andersen was convicted and sentenced to a nine year containment sentence in June 2010.
The suspect
The suspect Erik Andersen (born March 20, 1952) is a millionaire from HylkjeHylkje
Hylkje is a village in the borough of Åsane in Bergen, Norway. On January 1, 2008, the population of the Hylkje urban area was 2137. The urban area covered a land area of 2.59 square kilometres, and had a population density of 825 per square kilometre. European route E39 runs through Hylkje....
in Bergen, Norway who ran his own garage, Eric Andersen Lakkeringsverksted. Andersen has been active in motor sports for several years, particularly as a trainer in Bergen Trial Team. He is divorced and has two children. Andersen sometimes spelled his name as Eric Andersen, despite the fact that his legal name is Erik Andersen. He was identified on the front cover of Verdens Gang
Verdens Gang
Verdens Gang , generally known under the abbreviation VG, is a Norwegian tabloid newspaper...
, the largest newspaper of Norway, on August 22, 2009. He was also identified by Bergens Tidende
Bergens Tidende
Bergens Tidende is Norway's fourth largest newspaper and largest newspaper outside Oslo, with a circulation of about 87,000 copies . Founded in 1868, it is a Norwegian-language newspaper published daily in Bergen. It reaches approximately 260,000 readers every day , mainly in the counties of...
the following day. Subsequently, he has been identified by Dagbladet
Dagbladet
Dagbladet is Norway's second largest tabloid newspaper, and the third largest newspaper overall with a circulation of 105,255 copies in 2009, 18,128 papers less than in 2008. The editor in chief is Lars Helle....
, Nettavisen
Nettavisen
Nettavisen was the first Norwegian online newspaper that was not established in relation to a pre-existing real-life newspaper. It started up on 1 November 1996...
, TV 2
TV 2 (Norway)
TV 2 is the largest commercial television station in Norway. Over 30% of the time Norwegians spend watching TV is spent watching TV 2. The station has 65% of the market for TV commercials in Norway....
, Dagsavisen
Dagsavisen
Dagsavisen is a daily newspaper published in Oslo, Norway. The former party organ of the Norwegian Labour Party, the ties loosened over time from 1975 to 1999, and it is now fully independent...
, Bergensavisen
Bergensavisen
Bergensavisen , usually shortened to BA, is the second largest newspaper in Bergen, Norway. It is published in tabloid format. The newspaper webpage ba.no is Bergen's largest local newspaper webpage....
and Aftenposten
Aftenposten
Aftenposten is Norway's largest newspaper. It retook this position in 2010, taking it from the tabloid Verdens Gang which had been the largest newspaper for several decades. It is based in Oslo. The morning edition, which is distributed across all of Norway, had a circulation of 250,179 in 2007...
. Norwegian media had previously refrained from using his name and picture as requested by the police, in order not to harm the investigation. However, the investigation was completed in May 2009. Legally, the media are allowed to identify suspects in criminal cases. Bernt Olufsen
Bernt Olufsen
Bernt Olufsen is the Editor-in-Chief of Verdens Gang , the largest daily of Norway. He has been Editor-in-Chief since 1994.He worked with Adresseavisen from 1975 to 1979, and has been employed at VG since 1979.-References:...
stated that Verdens Gang chose to identify him because of the scale and seriousness of the crimes, which according to Olufsen meant the public had a right to know his identity.
Mode of operation
The modus operandiModus operandi
Modus operandi is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as "mode of operation". The term is used to describe someone's habits or manner of working, their method of operating or functioning...
of "The Pocket Man" was the same in all known cases: The perpetrator tricked young boys to touch his genitals
Frotteurism
Frotteurism refers to a paraphilic interest in rubbing, usually one's pelvis or erect penis, against a non-consenting person for sexual gratification. It may involve touching any part of the body including the genital area. A person who practices frotteurism is known as a frotteur...
, for instance by tricking them to "search for" a key in his pocket, where he had removed or cut a hole in the lining, or to adjust a bandage on his thigh. The more serious offense or offenses he is to have committed includes oral sex
Oral sex
Oral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
, which in some cases border on the Norwegian criminal code's
Criminal Code
A criminal code is a document which compiles all, or a significant amount of, a particular jurisdiction's criminal law...
definition of rape. The police allege that "The Pocket Man" on several occasions forced the boys to perform oral sex on him. Oral sex is equated with intercourse in the Norwegian penal code and has an upper limit of 21 years in prison, the maximum sentencing in Norway. The police have later informed that the most serious case has an upper limit of 15 years.
Other commons traits of the cases are:
- All victims were young boys aged between 6 and 12 years. Little girls were only employed as lookouts.
- Dark-skinned victims are in clearly overrepresented.
- Both "The Pocket Man" and "The Bandage Man" are said to have paid the victims after their offenses.
- Various tricks were employed to lure the children.
Time
The first assault known to the police , took place in ÅsaneÅsane
Åsane is a borough of the city of Bergen, Norway, making up the northwestern part of the city.It was a municipality in Hordaland county, from January 1, 1904, when it was separated from Hamre, until January 1, 1972 when it was merged with Bergen . The area was developed from mostly farmland to a...
, Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
in the latter half of 1976. During the first years the perpetrator is said to have lured children by asking them to help change a bandage in intimate places, and he was named "The Bandage Man". DNA evidence
Genetic fingerprinting
DNA profiling is a technique employed by forensic scientists to assist in the identification of individuals by their respective DNA profiles. DNA profiles are encrypted sets of numbers that reflect a person's DNA makeup, which can also be used as the person's identifier...
procured in 2007 revealed that "The Bandage Man" was also active in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. The police therefore concluded that "The Bandage Man" and "The Pocket Man" were one and the same person.
As early as 1983 or 84 "The Pocket Man" made an attempt against two boys at Garnes in Bergen. The boys ran away.
On November 27, 1994 "The Pocket Man" struck at a kindergarten at Søndre Nordstrand
Søndre Nordstrand
Søndre Nordstrand is a borough of the city of Oslo, Norway. It has 33000 inhabitants and the highest rate of immigrant population at 41%. It holds the population of Holmlia, Mortensrud, Hauketo, Prinsdal, Bjørndal, Klemetsrud, Ljabru and parts of Souther Nordstrand. It is also the southernmost...
, Oslo. this is the earliest known offense by "The Pocket Man" in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. Throughout the 1990s all known offenses in Oslo took place during weekends, and other offenses all took place in Bergen (the distance between Oslo and Bergen is about 500 kilometers). Starting in 2000 this pattern began to change: Incidents were no longer recorded in the Bergen area. During the subsequent years the incidents were limited to the Oslo region, until 2003 when a tendency was noticed of offenses appearing in other localities throughout Southern Norway, in 2003 the person is alleged to have been both at Quality Hotel and Badeland in Sarpsborg
Sarpsborg
is a city and municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sarpsborg.Sarpsborg is part of the fifth largest urban area in Norway when paired with neighbouring Fredrikstad...
. Two incidents took place on July 13, 2002 in Sarons dal in Kvinesdal
Kvinesdal
Kvinesdal is a municipality in the county of Vest-Agder, Norway.Kvinesdal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Feda was separated from Kvinesdal on 1 January 1900 but again merged with Kvinesdal on 1 January 1963. Fjotland was also merged with Kvinesdal on that date...
and at Hamresanden camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
in Kristiansand
Kristiansand
-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...
on July 12, 2003.
In January 2005 another incident took place in Sauda
Sauda
is a municipality and industrial town in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the region of Ryfylke. Sauda was separated from Suldal in 1842...
, whereas an incident involving two victims took place in a swimming hall in Skjolden
Skjolden
Skjolden is a village in the municipality of Luster in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is located at the end of the Lustrafjord, a branch of the Sognefjord. Skjolden is the innermost point of the Sognefjord, and is the length of the Sognefjord is measured from Skjolden to Ytre Sula island...
on July 14, 2006. In October 2007 it became known that also Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
police were investigating whether "The Pocket Man" was behind an offense at Svinesund
Svinesund
Svinesund is a sound separating the Swedish municipality of Strömstad in the province of Bohuslän in the county of Västra Götaland from the Norwegian municipality of Halden in the county of Østfold....
.
Separate investigations before coordination
Police in Norway currently lack a centralized computer system which is able to reveal similarities between individual cases. "The Pocket Man's" offenses against young boys had all been registered as independent cases. Just by accident, an investigator discovered in 2003 there were several conjoined cases.The police in Ski
Ski, Norway
is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Follo. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Ski. Ski was separated from the municipality of Kråkstad on 1 July 1931 to form a separate municipality...
outside Oslo were given the task of initiating a more comprehensive investigation of the itinerant serial criminal in 2003. They began a cumbersome re-evaluation of the 70 registered cases from other police districts. The Ski police discovered that the evidence was basically quite flimsy, there was for instance a lack of such essentials as interrogations. In May 2004 the police were nowhere near a solution to the case, and the investigation was at that time closed down.
A new team which will be working exclusively on "The Pocket Man" was established in the first two weeks of 2008 in Bergen, where investigators believe the entire case may have begun. During the same period new tips arrived for this team of previously undisclosed incidents.
DNA evidence
Police secured genetic fingerprintingGenetic fingerprinting
DNA profiling is a technique employed by forensic scientists to assist in the identification of individuals by their respective DNA profiles. DNA profiles are encrypted sets of numbers that reflect a person's DNA makeup, which can also be used as the person's identifier...
of several crime scenes, including one incident in Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
, where "The Pocket Man" had been photographed by a surveillance camera on September 6, 2003. DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
testing also showed that "The Bandage Man" and "The Pocket Man" were the same person.
A DNA sample located in the Norwegian Institute of Forensic Medicine taken of biological matter from a sexual offense case in 1995 revealed through a renewed analysis in 2007 that the sample originated from "The Pocket Man". Technically it was unfeasible to analyse the evidence in 1995, but it was stored for later analyses.
Tips and names of actual men
In connection with two incidents, one in MossMoss
Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...
in 1995, and one in Bergen in 1997, "The Pocket Man" himself stated that, "I am from Moss". Kripos
Kripos
Den nasjonale enhet for bekjempelse av organisert og annen alvorlig kriminalitet is a Norwegian special police division under the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and the Police....
(Norway's centralized crime investigation bureau for serious crime) believed in October 2007 that several named men from Oslo or Eastern Norway could possibly be "The Pocket Man". In connection with an incident in July 1999 at Nattland
Nattland
Nattland is a neighbourhood in Årstad and Fana boroughs in Bergen, Norway. It is located south of Landås and north-east of Paradis, although, like every neighbourhood outside of Bergenhus borough, it has no clearly defined borders...
, "The Pocket Man" however used an expression typical of the Bergen region, and Kripos obtained DNA samples from four individuals from the Bergen area in the autumn of 2007.
Apprehension
Early in the morning of January 11, 20082008 in Norway
-Incumbents:* Monarch - Harald V of Norway* Prime Minister - Jens Stoltenberg -Events:* January 1 – The Agency for Public Management and eGovernment is established....
, in Bergen, the police apprehended the man whom they believe to be "The Pocket Man". A previously unpunished man in his fifties was apprehended. The man was taken subsequent to a DNA match. The police have announced that the man has left DNA evidence in five cases, and they have identified him via a video recording. On January 14 a court ruled that he would be placed in detention
Detention of suspects
The detention of suspects is the process of keeping a person who has been arrested in a police-cell, remand prison or other detention centre before trial or sentencing. One criticism of pretrial detention is that eventual acquittal can be a somewhat hollow victory, in that there is no way to...
for four weeks with mail and visitors control restrictions,. His defense attorney at that time was Tor Erling Staff. Information about the suspect that has later been published states that he is a multi-millionaire and that he has two children.
Before the apprehension a secret search was conducted in the person's house. One precondition for such a procedure is the offense has punishment limit of more than 10 years. Because the Norwegian criminal code equates oral sex and intercourse, the case has a punishement limit of 21 years, and hence the police were able to conduct a secret search.
It is not known whether secret searches have been conducted on the up to 639,000 Norwegian men who were born between 1950 and 1970, which were analysed on the background of electronic evidence. Nor is it known whether at any time they were informed that they had been exposed to such electronic investigation.
During later search
Search and seizure
Search and seizure is a legal procedure used in many civil law and common law legal systems whereby police or other authorities and their agents, who suspect that a crime has been committed, do a search of a person's property and confiscate any relevant evidence to the crime.Some countries have...
es the police have allowed journalists to photograph impounded material from the house of the charged individual.
Some have expressed the sentiment that the use of the terms "The Pocket Man" and "The Bandage Man" could give the impression that the offenses were of a less serious nature. Several newspapers are using the expression "The man charged with being The Pocket Man" about the apprehended man in order to avoid pre-judging him.
Change of lawyer
In early May 2008 it was reported that the suspect had replaced his lawyer. His former lawyer, Tor Erling Staff had advised him not to talk to the police. His new lawyer, Gunhild Lærum, recently defended a teacher of similar crimes, and in that case the defendant gave a full explanation of his doings.Investigation concluded
Norwegian police rounded up their investigation in May 2009. Until then the detained suspect had been charged with 54 cases of sexual assault and attempted sexual assault, however, this number was raised with an unmentioned number at that time. He has admitted to involvement in 20 cases. The suspect who has been detained throughout the investigation will remain in custody until at least the end of August 2009. He has consistently agreed to prolonged detention to avoid being hounded by the news media should he have been released before the trial.Swedish cases uncovered
In June 2009 Swedish police announced that they had identified two unsolved abuse cases which they believe could be tied to the Pocket Man. The assaults took place in the town of VarbergVarberg
Varberg is a locality and the seat of Varberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden with 26,041 inhabitants in 2005.Varberg and all of Halland are well known for their 'typical west coast' sandy beaches. In Varberg the coast changes from wide sandy beaches to rocky terrain that continues north into...
on the west coast in May 2004. The detained suspect has been charged with one of these assaults. The parents of the other boy has requested that their son not be included in the charges to spare him from further police questioning.
Conviction
Andersen was convicted June 14, 2010 on most of the 74 charges, most related to the sexual abuse charges and six related to violations of the weapons regulations. He was sentenced to nine years containment, such sentences can be extended by five years at a time if deemed necessary, and can in principle become a life sentenceLife imprisonment (Norway)
There is no sentence of life imprisonment in Norwegian law. There is however an indeterminate penalty that could in principle result in life imprisonment, but there are no examples of such after the latest correctional law passed in 2002...
. Andersen was acquitted on one of the two rape charges, although the court found that Andersen was still guilty of abuse in that incident.
Andersen was also ordered to pay between NOK 20,000 and NOK 125,000 to each of his victims, in total NOK 2,525,000. He was also ordered to cover court costs totalling NOK 500,000.