The Supreme Court of Iceland
A sentence on the application of the provision of the general criminal law on intimate relationship offences
30th March 2022
Today, the Supreme Court ruled in a case where the defendant’s conduct of knowing her ex-girlfriend in her home, pushing her down a staircase, grabbing her hair, hitting her in the head and taking her to the throat with further specified consequences was considered an offence in a close relationship and not a minor assault, as was done in the Landsréttur judgment.
The Supreme Court referred to the fact that the victim did not need to suffer direct or visible bodily injuries or other damage in the case of a close relationship violation. However, it could be considered in assessing the severity of an offence. The victim had suffered injuries across the body, although each of them had not been considered significant. It was then clear that she had suffered injuries because of the fall and the defendants’ conduct had been particularly serious.
The attack had in its entirety been designed to raise a great threat for the victim, but at the same time it had been stated that she had suffered a mental breakdown because of the attack.
The Supreme Court considered that the accused had seriously and violently threatened the health and welfare of the victims. The defendant’s sentence was imposed with a penalty of ten months in prison, but the execution was postponed due to delays in the proceedings.