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CBC
4 hours ago
- Sport
- CBC
Father of track star Jakob Ingebrigtsen cleared of abusing 2-time Olympic champion
Gjert Ingebrigtsen, the father of Norwegian track star Jakob Ingebrigtsen, was convicted Monday of one count of assault against his daughter and given a suspended prison sentence. A court in Sandnes, Norway acquitted Gjert of other charges including abusing Jakob, a multiple Olympic and world middle-distance champion. In a trial that started in March and has gripped Norway, Gjert, 59, was accused of an alleged years-long campaign of domestic abuse toward Jakob and younger sister, Ingrid. Gjert denied the charges against him. A verdict in the case was delivered in writing by Soer Rogaland District Court and Gjert was convicted of a single incident of minor assault against his daughter, his legal team confirmed to The Associated Press. He was handed a 15-day suspended sentence and ordered to pay NOK 10,000 ($1,010 US) in compensation. John Christian Elden and Heidi Reisvang, defence attorneys from Elden Law Firm, said it was the court's conclusion there "was no evidence to show that Gjert Ingebrigtsen created a continuous fear in his children." "There are no winners in this case," Reisvang, who was assisting counsel during the trial, told the AP. "He [Gjert] hopes that one day he will have contact and a relationship with his family again." Gjert became a prominent media figure in Norway in 2016 following his involvement in the TV documentary series Team Ingebrigtsen, in which he was seen coaching his three track-and-field sons, Jakob, Filip and Henrik. The series ran until 2021. By 2022 the trio had parted ways with their coach-father and the following year co-signed a column in the national newspaper, VG, accusing Gjert of physical violence and intimidation. The police opened an investigation, with court proceedings eventually brought relating to Gjert's treatment of Jakob and Ingrid. Gjert continued coaching after the split with his sons and now guides Jakob's 1500-metre Norwegian rival, Narve Gilje Nordas. The 24-year-old Jakob won Olympic gold in the 1,500 at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and the 5,000 at the Paris Games in 2024. He was world champion at the 5,000 in 2022 and '23. He listed his achievements on the track in a post on Instagram — published soon after the verdict in the trial was announced — in which he said the goal he most cares about is that his daughter, Filippa, "will love and respect me for her upbringing."
Telegraph
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Jakob Ingebrigtsen's father convicted of assault but avoids jail
The father of Jakob Ingebrigtsen has been convicted of assaulting his daughter but acquitted of abusing the double Olympic champion. After a seven-week trial, which included conflicting statements from multiple family members, a court in their hometown of Sandnes found that Gjert Ingebrigtsen did hit Ingrid with a wet towel but that there was reasonable doubt over accusations that he abused Jakob. Gjert, who had coached Jakob, as well as his brothers Henrik and Filip to major international success over 1500 metres and 5,000m, has been fined 10,000 krone (£744) and received a suspended 15-day jail sentence for the assault on Ingrid. The court was shown a photograph of Ingrid with a red mark on her face. Judges in the case did not find, as was alleged by Ingrid and the three brothers, that he had overseen a family environment that was characterised by fear and violence. Gjert Ingebrgtsen had denied the charges and his lawyer, John Christian Elden, said that he was 'relieved' by the court's verdict. 'This case has no winners, and today's verdict shows that all those affected have been exposed to an enormous burden that should have been avoided,' said Elden. Jakob's legal aid lawyer Mette Yvonne Larsen said that the 24-year-old Olympic, world and European champion was now 'concerned with moving on' after starting 'a new life in January 2022, when he broke with his father and broke with the regime he has experienced'. The verdict states: 'The court considers one side's version of family life and the relationship between the defendant and Jakob is not particularly more likely than the other.' They also highlighted how another brother, Martin, had spoken in defence of his father. 'The significant difference is that he describes it as a safe and good home without violence or threats, despite the fact that the defendant could be quarrelsome, loud and argumentative,' said the court. 'The court cannot disregard his explanation. His explanation is difficult to reconcile with the prosecution's claim that Jakob was subjected to violence… or abuse throughout much of his childhood.' Jakob had alleged that he was abused both physically and mentally from 2008 until 2018. The prosecutor had requested a prison sentence of more than two-and-a-half years. A total of Nkr400,000 (£29,800) in compensation was also suggested for the two siblings. Ingrid Ingebrigtsen, 19, has not lived at home since the towel incident in January 2022. The three brothers split from being coached by Gjert shortly after the incident before writing a newspaper article in 2023 which alleged that they had been subjected to physical violence. Gjert, who has always denied criminal behaviour, has continued to coach Jakob's Norway team-mates Narve Gilje Nordas and Per Svela. Jakob Ingebrigtsen won the 1500m at the Tokyo Olympics before following that up with 5,000m gold in Paris last year. He also won the 1500m and 3,000m double at both the European and World Indoor Championships earlier this year but the start of his outdoor track season has been delayed by an Achilles tendon injury.
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Jakob Ingebrigtsen's father is CLEARED of abusing the Olympic champion runner - but receives 15-day suspended sentence for assaulting his daughter
A Norway court on Monday acquitted Gjert Ingebrigtsen of abusing his son, Olympic champion runner Jakob Ingebrigtsen, but convicted him and handed him a 15-day suspended sentence for assaulting his daughter on one occasion. 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 was accused of physical and psychological violence against Jakob and his sister Ingrid, 19, between 2008 and 2022, but denied the charges. At the conclusion of the lengthy trial that lasted from March 24 to May 15 at the Sandnes court, he was acquitted of the abuse alleged by Jakob. The court however found him guilty of one violent incident involving his daughter Ingrid. In her testimony, Ingrid told the court her father hit her in the face with a wet towel in January 2022 - a picture taken that day showed her with a red cheek. He said he was aiming for her finger, which she was pointing at him during a row. In addition to a 15-day suspended prison sentence, Ingebrigtsen Sr was ordered to pay Ingrid 10,000 kroner ($1,000) in damages. Prosecutors had called for him to be jailed for two and a half years, 'They didn't say they were disappointed. They said they were surprised,' Mette Yvonne Larsen, Jakob's and Ingrid's lawyer, told reporters when describing her clients' reactions to the verdict. Meanwhile, the accused's lawyers noted that 'what was decisive for the court's conclusion was the lack of evidence proving that Gjert Ingebrigtsen had instilled constant fear in his children.' 'The court specifically highlighted that several close family members as well as external witnesses had neither observed nor witnessed mistreatment,' they said in a statement. The parties have 14 days to appeal the verdict. Throughout the trial, Jakob referred to his father as 'the accused' and told the court he stopped calling him 'dad' at the age of 11 or 12. 'My upbringing was very much characterised by fear,' he told the court. '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. 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. 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.
Malay Mail
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Malay Mail
Norwegian Olympic champ Ingebrigtsen's dad acquitted of abuse but convicted of assaulting daughter
OSLO, June 16 — A Norway court today acquitted Gjert Ingebrigtsen of abusing his son, Olympic champion runner Jakob Ingebrigtsen, but convicted him and handed him a 15-day suspended sentence for assaulting his daughter on one occasion. 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 was accused of physical and psychological violence against Jakob and his sister Ingrid, 19, between 2008 and 2022, but denied the charges. At the conclusion of the lengthy trial that lasted from March 24 to May 15 at the Sandnes court, he was acquitted of the abuse alleged by Jakob. The court however found him guilty of one violent incident involving his daughter Ingrid. In her testimony, Ingrid told the court her father hit her in the face with a wet towel in January 2022 — a picture taken that day showed her with a red cheek. He said he was aiming for her finger, which she was pointing at him during a row. In addition to a 15-day suspended prison sentence, Ingebrigtsen Sr was ordered to pay Ingrid 10,000 kroner (RM4,241) in damages. Prosecutors had called for him to be jailed for two and a half years, 'They didn't say they were disappointed. They said they were surprised,' Mette Yvonne Larsen, Jakob's and Ingrid's lawyer, told reporters when describing her clients' reactions to the verdict. Meanwhile, the accused's lawyers noted that 'what was decisive for the court's conclusion was the lack of evidence proving that Gjert Ingebrigtsen had instilled constant fear in his children.' 'The court specifically highlighted that several close family members as well as external witnesses had neither observed nor witnessed mistreatment,' they said in a statement. The parties have 14 days to appeal the verdict. 'Character assassination' Throughout the trial, Jakob referred to his father as 'the accused' and told the court he stopped calling him 'dad' at the age of 11 or 12. 'My upbringing was very much characterised by fear,' he told the court. '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. 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. 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
Malay Mail
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Malay Mail
‘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
