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Norwegian gynaecologist jailed for dozens of rapes

Norwegian gynaecologist jailed for dozens of rapes

RNZ News06-06-2025
State prosecutors Eli Reberg Nessimo and Rikhard Haugen Lyng (left) during a press conference after the trial against the municipal superintendent in Frosta in Trondelag district court. Doctor Arne Bye is accused of raping 87 patients in Frosta, where he was a doctor. In addition, he allegedly abused his position for sexual intercourse with 94 women. Bye pleads guilty to three counts of rape and 35 counts of abuse of position.
Photo:
NTB via AFP / GORM KALLESTAD
A Norwegian court on Friday (local time) sentenced a doctor to 21 years in prison for committing dozens of rapes over a period of almost two decades.
Arne Bye, 55, was found guilty of committing 70 counts of rape and sexual assault during gynaecological examinations of his patients between 2004 and 2022. He was also condemned for 80 instances of abuse of his position.
Bye committed the acts at his medical practice in the town of Frosta in central Norway.
The court in the city of Trondelag barred the doctor from exercising his profession indefinitely and demanded he financially compensate his victims.
Ninety-four women testified during the trial, describing how Bye committed multiple acts of non-consensual touching and digital penetration without medical justification.
The acts all constitute rape under Norwegian law.
Bye also filmed the assaults.
"The suspect's actions make this case an extremely serious one. The actions are unacceptable,"
the Adresseavisen
newspaper quoted judge Espen Haug as saying in court.
The sentence matched the one requested by the prosecution. Bye's defence had argued for a lesser sentence, recognising only 20 of the rapes.
- AFP
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