The Helicopter doctor case (Norwegian: ''Helikopterlege-saken'') was a case of

child sexual abuse Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in Human sexual activity, sexual activit ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

that received broad media attention from 2010 to 2012. A physician from

Hamar Hamar is a List of cities in Norway, town in Hamar Municipality in Innlandet Counties of Norway, county, Norway. Hamar is the administrative centre of Hamar Municipality. It is located in the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Hedmarken. ...

, Thor Aage Mathisen (born 1972), was arrested in October 2010 and charged with sexually abusing several underage girls, including 7 cases of

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...

, and of

blackmail Blackmail is a criminal act of coercion using a threat. As a criminal offense, blackmail is defined in various ways in common law jurisdictions. In the United States, blackmail is generally defined as a crime of information, involving a thr ...

ing a number of men. At the time, he worked as a

consultant A consultant (from "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice or services in an area of specialization (generally to medium or large-size corporations). Cons ...

at Innlandet Hospital and worked part-time as a helicopter doctor. He thus became known in the media as "the helicopter doctor." In 2011, he was convicted by Hedmarken District Court and again by

Eidsivating Court of Appeal The Eidsivating Court of Appeal () is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Hamar, with jurisdiction over the Eidsivating judicial district (), comprising the counties of Innlandet, Østfold, a ...

to 10 years

preventive detention Preventive detention is an imprisonment that is putatively justified for non- punitive purposes, most often to prevent further criminal acts. Preventive detention sometimes involves the detention of a convicted criminal who has served their sente ...

, to pay his victims 2,4 million

NOK Nok is a village in Jaba, Nigeria, Jaba Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria. The village is an archeological site. Archaeology The discovery of terracotta figurines at this location caused its name to be used for the Nok culture, ...

and deprived of his medical authorization ("struck off") on an indefinite basis. In March 2012 the

Supreme Court of Norway The Supreme Court of Norway ( Norwegian Bokmål: ; Norwegian Nynorsk: ; lit. 'Highest Court') is the highest court in the Norwegian judiciary. It was established in 1815 on the basis of section 88 in the Constitution of the Kingdom of Norway, ...

rejected to hear his appeal. He served his sentence between 2011 and 2018, mostly in the high security

Ila Detention and Security Prison Ila or ILA may refer to: Government * Ila Detention and Security Prison, a prison in Bærum, Norway * Israel Land Administration * Israel Land Authority, the successor agency to the Israel Land Administration Organizations * Idaho Library Associa ...

outside Oslo, later in the Kroksrud Penal Labour Camp at

Kløfta Kløfta is a town located in Ullensaker, Akershus, Norway. It has a population of 8,371 inhabitants as of December 12th, 2023. Kløfta has a growing sports teaKløfta ILwhich consists of football, handball, basketball, e-sports, table tennis, cyc ...

, and was released on

probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offence (law), offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incar ...

in 2018 after serving over 7 years. During the trial, Mathisen was diagnosed by the court-appointed experts, psychiatrist Michael Setsaas and psychologist Jim Aage Nøttestad, with

paedophilia Pedophilia ( alternatively spelled paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of pube ...

and

antisocial personality disorder Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is a personality disorder defined by a chronic pattern of behavior that disregards the rights and well-being of others. People with ASPD often exhibit behavior that conflicts with social norms, leading to ...

with

sadomasochistic Sadism () and masochism (), known collectively as sadomasochism ( ) or S&M, is the derivation of pleasure from acts of respectively inflicting or receiving pain or humiliation. The term is named after the Marquis de Sade, a French author known ...

traits. According to the experts, he will need treatment for up to 20 years for his diagnoses. Mathisen didn't get accepted by a medical school in Norway, and studied medicine abroad.

References

{{Reflist Hamar Trials in Norway 2010 in Norway 2011 in Norway 2012 in Norway Child sexual abuse in Norway Incidents of violence against girls