Erik Andersen (child molester)

Erik Andersen
Born (1952-03-20) 20 March 1952 (age 72)
Bergen, Norway
Other namesThe Pocket Man
Occupationformer garage owner
Criminal statusConvicted and serving prison sentence, incarcerated in Ila Prison
Conviction(s)Child sexual abuse and rape
Criminal penaltyPreventive detention with a term of 9 years

Erik Andersen (born 20 March 1952), also referred to in the media as The Pocket Man (in Norwegian "Lommemannen"), is a convicted Norwegian child molester from Bergen. He was arrested in 2008, accused of molesting hundreds of children since 1976, and in 2010, he was convicted and sentenced to preventive detention with a minimum term of 9 years, with the possibility of extension for as long as he is deemed a danger to society. He was released in November 2014.[1]

"The Pocket Man" was originally the name given by the Norwegian police and media to the then unidentified child molester. The man who has been at large since 1976, has been accused of committing sex crimes against minors throughout Southern Norway. "The Pocket Man" might have lured boys in numerous localities and has been characterized by law enforcement as a "dangerous serial criminal".[2] The last known incident of the Pocket Man took place in Skjolden in Luster on 14 June 2006. The police have registered about 160 cases.[3] The police allege that several occurrences also have not been reported. In August 2009 the suspect was formally indicted and charged with 60 cases, including two cases of rape of small boys.[4] He cannot be prosecuted for cases that are older than ten years. The suspect has admitted to involvement in 20 of the cases.[5]

The identity of "The Pocket Man" was unknown to the police until, after several years of investigation, they identified a man from Bergen who was arrested and indicted as the perpetrator on 11 January 2008. The suspect remained anonymous until he was identified as Erik Andersen by Norway's largest daily Verdens Gang on 22 August 2009.[6]

"The Pocket Man" was during one period of the investigations known as "The Bandage Man", first time in a case from Bergen in 1980. The police realized that this was the same offender in the autumn of 2007.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference niaar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "En farlig serieforbryter – Innenriks". Dagbladet.no. January 25, 2007. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
  3. ^ "Utvider listen med overgrep i lommemann-saken". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norway. NTB. May 8, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
  4. ^ "Tiltalt for voldtekt mot to smågutter". bt.no. October 14, 2011. Archived from the original on August 26, 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
  5. ^ Knutsen, Anders Sooth (May 6, 2009). "Lommemann-saken ferdig etterforsket". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norway. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
  6. ^ "Lommemannen startet allerede som tenåring – VG Nett om Lommemannen". Vg.no. August 22, 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2011.