Lawyer criticizing police in school shooting case: They’ve handled it completely wrong.

The prosecution office in Viborg has today decided to drop the case against a 15-year-old boy who has been charged and detained for nearly seven months on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with a planned school shooting.

The boy’s lawyer, Brian W. Lassen from Stage Advokatfirma, believes the basis for his pre-trial detention was flimsy and that the authorities should have recognized early on that there was no real case to pursue.

- I’ve been involved in the process from the start, and I can clearly see that even after the constitutional hearing, the case was never going to hold up. However, the authorities chose to continue investigating and questioning witnesses without any real purpose, says Brian W. Lassen.

The criticism is rejected by Police Inspector Jacob Ulvedal from Sydøstjyllands Politi.

- I can only say that we received a very credible report about the planning of a potential school shooting, and of course, that’s why we had a duty to respond both consistently and thoroughly—which we did in this case, he states.

He declines to comment on the source of the report but adds that the courts have repeatedly assessed the suspicion against the 15-year-old.

- Naturally, we’ve had the case evaluated by the courts, which found that there was a justified suspicion, says Jacob Ulvedal.

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**Unnecessary turmoil**

Brian W. Lassen also argues that the police, by detaining the boy and issuing press statements about the case, created unnecessary concern and disruption.

- It has caused chaos in the local community, something the case could never justify. It’s criticizable, and I’m eager to hear how the police will address the turmoil they’ve created at two schools and among many students. There have been siblings subjected to bullying. It’s been quite serious, says Brian W. Lassen.

In response, Police Inspector Jacob Ulvedal states:

- We acknowledge that investigations create turmoil, but it can also be necessary—and in this case, we’ve judged it to be so, he says.

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**No real basis for suspicion**

The defense lawyer believes the police should have handled the case entirely differently.

- In my view, there was never any real basis to suspect my client of anything. When evaluating the flimsy evidence they had, they should have approached it differently. This was more of an educational task than a police matter, says Brian W. Lassen.

Jacob Ulvedal, however, maintains that the police were obligated to investigate the case, though he adds that it also involved an educational aspect.

- Throughout this case, we’ve worked closely with the municipality and schools, and we will continue to do so moving forward, because there’s a day-to-day reality to consider, says Jacob Ulvedal.

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**Flawless investigation**

Brian W. Lassen still argues that the police should reflect on how such cases should be handled in the future.

However, the police have not yet had time to evaluate the matter, says Jacob Ulvedal.

- You can always rationalize things afterward. That’s not where we are yet. This was a very serious accusation, so we had to treat it seriously, which meant gathering extensive evidence and questioning many people. That inevitably creates some unease for some, in the hope that it might bring greater security for others.

Looking back, there was no evidence to support a criminal case against this boy. So, in hindsight, did you handle the case incorrectly?

- No, I absolutely do not think so.

Emil Stenbygaard, the special prosecutor from the Viborg Prosecution Office who chose to drop the case, also does not believe the police could have acted differently or more swiftly.

- Everything the police had the opportunity to do was done to advance a case of this nature.

So, is it acceptable that the 15-year-old was held in pre-trial detention for so long?

- There have been necessary ongoing reviews of this pre-trial detention, which were also approved by the courts, so yes, I believe so.

Is there anything you or the police could have done differently?

- I don’t see anything that could have been handled differently in this case.

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**Tears of joy**

The lawyer will now seek maximum compensation for the unjustified detention, but he is hesitant to assess the cost the case has had for the boy and his family.

- One thing is today, another is tomorrow, in a year, or in ten years, says Brian W. Lassen.

Yet, there was joy in the family today when Brian W. Lassen called the boy’s mother in the morning and told her she could pick up her son.

- It was almost difficult to speak with them, they cried so much out of happiness, and I believe they are with him now, says lawyer Brian W. Lassen.

Throughout the process, the case was reviewed by a judge roughly every four weeks when the detention of the 15-year-old needed to be extended, and here, Brian W. Lassen accepted the extensions.

- When a city court and a high court approve the basis for detention, it doesn’t help to go back to court again. That’s why we accepted the detention, but it’s not a sign that we didn’t protest, he says.

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