Truls Henrik Johansen disappeared at sea – trial begins at Vesterålen District Court – NRK

It is a summer afternoon in late June 2018 outside the fishing village Skipnes in Øksnes in Vesterålen.

Three companions go out to put the so-called halibut. After the fishing tackle is thrown into the sea, the comrades disembark.

They go to the Skipperstua pub, where eventually there will be a good atmosphere. At the local disco, the three friends meet Truls Henrik. He is a mutual friend. Truls has its own boat for the fishing village.

But not only alcohol is consumed. One of the friends is taking prescription pills. Tablets that I had not used before.

– After a while I had more or less “blackout”. Based on the blood samples taken from me, I may have taken three of them overnight, the main defendant explained in an interview with Vesterålen Online newspaper last winter.

When the service closes, the four companions choose to leave the island with the two ships. Truls and the 37-year-old defendant on a boat. The other two comrades in the other.

Truls Henrik Johansen and the defendants are said to have ended up in the sea at Tindsøya in Vesterålen. The defendant returns to the ship, but not Johansen.

Today, the comrade is accused of having left Truls in a defenseless state.

According to the accusation, he does not alert about what happened to seek help. Truls Henrik Johansen has never been found.

He did not plead guilty until now when the case against him began today in the Vesterålen District Court.

Nor does he plead guilty to driving a boat while intoxicated. However, the defendant admits criminal guilt for having stored drugs after the accusation and for having had a weapon in a public place.

In the explanation, he explains that he has a prehistory where he has used drugs. But he has left this behind.

He still admits that he had narcotics on his ship. He bought these tablets from a friend to help him get out of a financial situation, he explains.

According to the defendant, he gave Truls Johansen tablets. He further explains that he joined the ship because Truls was drunk and felt that it was not justifiable to let him go alone.

At sea, the ship’s engine hits a reef.

– The engine cover comes flying over our heads.

– Disappeared like a stone

They are going to a new event in Tindsøya.

– I jump out of the boat and push it back into the sea. Then I take over the direction of Truls because he was not justified in directing the ship.

He further explains that after he took control, he turned black. Suddenly he discovers that both of them have ended up at sea.

– I tell Truls we have to get to the ship. I’m going swimming and I manage to get on the boat. Then I see Truls. I am trying to start the engine. I try to calm down at some point, but I can’t. Then I see Truls disappear like a brick in the sea. The distance between the ship and Truls I cannot fully judge.

He goes on to say that he’s trying to call for help, but that his mobile phone is “blacking out.”

– If he had had the opportunity to do so, of course he would have called the emergency services.

– When do you see him swimming? Asks the judge.

– There was no movement.

– Why did you end up at sea? Asks the judge.

– Truls grabs me and yanks, and we both end up crossing the line. Then the ship is at rest.

The defendant himself believes that he was not aware of how drunk he was.

– I thought I could take care of Truls. He was afraid that Truls would go to shore.

Fire warning shots

The defendant explains that he tried to ask for help by defecating the weapon.

He says he’s not sure how many shots he fired. Between 1 and 3 shots. But he was not asked for help. Finally, the lifeboat discovers him.

He explains that his friend has disappeared at sea and that he needs help.

The defendant explains that he remembers very little after boarding the lifeboat.

– You must remember that I am in a state of shock as well as being intoxicated, is the defendant’s explanation of why he does not remember.

It is true that he lied

He admitted to having lied about the origin of the tablets and how intoxicated he was.

– I said it was the Truls tablets.

The defendant says he is very sorry about this. And he understands that family members are thinking “what else can I lie about.”

He says he lied to protect a friend who had obtained the tablets. The defendant says there is no excuse for this.

– This is the most horrible thing I have ever done in my life. I can’t help but apologize.

You can receive three years in prison

The prosecutor in the case, Kai Rønning-Nyvold, says the sentence is three years on the charge of leaving a person in a defenseless state.

The defendant was previously charged with negligent homicide, but this part has been withdrawn.

– At the beginning of the investigation, we considered this a good reason to suspect that it could be a case of negligent murder. Now that the investigation is complete and we see what we have and can prove, we have decided that this allegation is correct, explains prosecutor Kai Rønning-Nyvold.

The prosecutor explains that drugs are also part of the accusation.

– I don’t think it’s central, but it will be a theme. There is talk of breaking drug laws and driving with drugs, he says.

– An accident

According to defense attorney John Christian Elden, the defendant is happy that the original wrongful death charge has been dropped and dropped.

But he still denies his criminal guilt and believes that he has done everything possible to help his comrade at sea.

– One faces an accident here. It was originally investigated as a negligent homicide. But one is faced here with a case in which the defendant cannot be punished for the death of Truls Johansen. This situation does not include a so-called legal duty of care, the defender said in his introductory speech.

– Has thoroughly investigated

Two and a half years have passed since the disappearance of Truls Henrik Johansen. Defense attorney John Christian Elden says it has been a long time to wait for the defendant.

– The case has been thoroughly investigated and a murder charge was also dropped. At the same time, it takes a long time to wait for someone who has been accused of something and believes they are wrongly accused, Elden says.

Prosecutor Kai Rønning-Nyvold explains that it has taken a long time to schedule the case, both due to an extensive investigation and because work was postponed due to the corona pandemic.

Three days have been reserved for the trial in the Vesterålen District Court.