Record investigative effort into pedophile case in Gambia A delegation of 8-10 persons will travel to Gambia to investigate claims that a Norwegian teacher has sexually abused a 12-year-old boy. This is the first time Norwegian police have mounted such a large operation for this type of case. INGER ANNE OLSEN Major resources A judge, a defense lawyer, legal counsel for the victim, a prosecutor, several investigators and one or two interpreters - this is the delegation Oslo police district has decided to send to Gambia this summer to investigate claims that a Norwegian teacher has abused one or more boys during holidays there. The reason several investigators will attend is that police do not know how many children may be involved. "It is rare that we get evidence strong enough to start such an investigation. This is also special because it embraces investigations both here and in Gambia," says police lawyer Pål-Fredrik Hjorth Kraby. Kraby will lead the delegation to West Africa as soon as he has received a reply to his letter of request that will shortly be sent to Gambia. Oslo police will handle the final interviews and depositions and so will be carrying out legal interrogations in the country. "We are in dialogue with the Gambian police but the investigation will nevertheless pose challenges," Kraby says. The project is approved by the Oslo district attorney's office. When Norwegian tourists reported their suspicions about the Norwegian before Christmas, it was the division for sexual violence at Kripos, the National Bureau of Crime Investigation, which first handled the case. Division leader Harald Skjønsfjell is not aware of a precedent for such a case receiving the kind of resources the Oslo police district is now using. "This is very good. If one wants to secure evidence so that the man can eventually be convicted in Norway, one has to do it like this," Skjønsfjell says. Denies abuse Aftenposten has previously written about the middle-aged Norwegian who over the course of the last year has been on several holidays in the West African nation. On at least two of these visits he has checked into a hotel with a 12-year-old Gambian boy. During questioning by Gambian police the boy has admitted being abused by the Norwegian. The boy's father had approved the boy living at the hotel with the Norwegian because the man provided the family with financial support. The Norwegian paid the boy's school fees and sent NOK 500 in pocket money each month - the equivalent of a generous month's wages in Gambia. The Norwegian traveled from Gambia before the local police managed to question him. The man is charged but not in custody. Aftenposten did not succeed in contacting the man's lawyer, Fridtjof Feydt, yesterday. Police lack experience Save the Children has long worked to prevent Norwegians on holiday from abusing children. "We know that many Norwegians (sexually) abuse children when on holiday. It is a serious crime and it is very positive that Norwegian police are working so hard to find out what has happened in this affair," Marianne Borgen says. She leads Save the Children's rights center. No matter what the result of the case, she believes the major effort is an important signal to those Norwegians that have holidays like these at regular intervals. "Police lack sufficient experience to investigate such cases abroad. I assume that they will secure that expertise on this trip," Borgen says. Covert photographs Norwegian tourists holidaying in Gambia were the ones who brought the Norwegian's unusual behavior to Kripos' attention. Aftenposten is in possession of pictures of several young boys, photographed on their way to the Norwegian's hotel room. Other pictures show the man as he leads two boys aged four or five out of the hotel area. The photographs were taken by a Gambian on behalf of a Norwegian hotel guest who was disturbed by these visits. According to police chief Abdou Njie at the main police station in capital Banjul, it is extremely unusual for children to pay tourists solitary visits at a hotel. "Only extremely poor and very desperate parents let their children go near the tourist areas without the company of an adult family member. Because everyone knows that these children are the ones most vulnerable to sexual assault," Njie said when Aftenposten was in Gambia before Christmas to write about child sex tourism. Gambia, Senegal and Ghana are among the new destinations for pedophile tourists after it has become too dangerous in Thailand and the Philippines. (This report was first printed in the norwegian newspaper AFTENPOSTEN, Tuesday May 25th 2004) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~