Prosecutor Arild Dommersnes asked for what's called forvaring in Norwegian, an open-ended form of protective custody that could mean life in prison for NOKAS defendants David Toska, Kjell A Schumann, Ridvan Halimi, Metkel Betew and Thomas Thendrup. The longest prison term in Norway otherwise is 21 years, but special circumstances can lead to the open-ended custody that forvaring implies.
The eight other defendants in the commando-style robbery of the NOKAS currency depot in Stavanger should be sentenced to jail terms of six to 21 years, prosecutors claimed. Defendant Erling Havnå, who also is under indictment for another commando-style robbery of the Norwegian postal service, should be held for the maximum term of 21 years, they argued.
Lead prosecutor Dommersnes stressed the scope and fatal consequences of the NOKAS heist, which set off a daylight gun battle on the streets of downtown Stavanger just before Easter 2004 and left a veteran police officer dead.
"This was without doubt Norway's most brutal robbery, even though that's a description we should be careful with," Dommersnes told the court. He added that there should be no question that such a serious offense should result in the harshest punishment under the law, challenging the judge in the case with the query: "If not this robbery, then which?"
He pointed to the planning that went into the robbery, the use of military tactics and weapons, the number of robbers involved and the gunfight that took place. The amount of money stolen also broke all records, and most of it hasn't been recovered.
Dommersnes added that not only were the police in danger during the street gunbattle, "but also the rest of the city's population."
