‘My upbringing was fear': Verdict due in Norwegian court as Olympic runner Jakob Ingebrigtsen accuses father of years of violence
OSLO, June 16 — A Norway court will announce its verdict on Monday in the trial of Gjert Ingebrigtsen, accused of inflicting years of abuse on his son, Olympic champion runner Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
Prosecutors have called for him to be jailed for two and a half years while the defence wants an acquittal, following a trial at Sandnes district court in southwestern Norway.
Gjert Ingebrigtsen, 59, acted as trainer until 2022 to Jakob, 24, who won Olympic golds in the 5,000m in Paris in 2024 and the 1,500m in Tokyo in 2021.
He is accused of physical and psychological violence against Jakob and his sister Ingrid, 18, from 2008 to 2022.
'My upbringing was very much characterised by fear,' Jakob told the court during the trial.
He referred to his father throughout the trial as 'the accused' and told the court he stopped calling him 'dad' at the age of 11 or 12.
'I felt like I had no free choice and I wasn't allowed to speak my mind. Everything was controlled and decided for me. An enormous amount of manipulation,' he said.
He recounted several episodes of physical violence, including slaps and kicks to the stomach, some of which occurred when he was seven years old.
Ingebrigtsen Sr has called the trial a 'textbook case of character assassination'.
He told the court he had been an 'overly protective' father who had given his seven children a 'traditional and patriarchal' upbringing.
He was keen to contribute to their success but received only ingratitude in return, he said.
'Heartbreaking consequences'
Jakob and two of his brothers, Henrik and Filip, who are also athletes, shocked Norway in October 2023 when they used a newspaper article to accuse their father of using physical violence during their upbringing.
The police investigated claims about all seven Ingebrigtsen siblings but retained only those relating to Jakob and Ingrid.
Jakob – who claimed the 1,500m and 3,000m world indoor titles right before the opening of the trial in March – along with Henrik and Filip cut ties with their father in 2022.
In her testimony, Ingrid told the court her father hit her in the face with a wet towel in January 2022.
He said he was aiming for her finger, which she was pointing at him during a row.
On the final day of the trial, Jakob told the court the proceedings had 'profound and heartbreaking consequences' for the siblings regardless of the verdict.
'We have known that from the beginning, but it was nonetheless important to tell our story,' he said. — AFP
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