Norwegian athletics coach Gjert Ingebrigtsen advised a court docket on Monday he “loves” his kids and was simply an “overly protecting” father as he denied abuse allegations.
Ingebrigtsen, 59, is on trial in Norway accused of bodily and mentally abusing his 24-year-old son Jakob and one other of his kids.
Double Olympic champion Jakob stated when giving proof final week that his father “manipulated” and “managed” him all through his upbringing and detailed a collection of alleged incidents.
Gjert addressed the court docket on the prison case in Sandnes in his personal defence. He stated he had tried to protect all seven of his kids, two extra of whom additionally turned profitable athletes.
“I turned a father very early, with an infinite want to guard. I turned what one would possibly name overly protecting,” Gjert was quoted as saying in court docket by Norwegian state broadcaster NRK.
“Highlighting related incidents in relation to the fees might make it seem to be I’m being portrayed negatively in the direction of my kids. However I like my kids immensely.”
Gjert Ingebrigtsen advised the court docket the ambition of a few of his kids had been “completely excessive” after they began to take part in sports activities.
“I by no means heard ‘may you please’, however slightly solely completely different calls for and expectations,” Gjert stated.
“The calls for from the kids had been about district degree, nationwide degree, European degree, and world degree. Later, ‘Dad’ turned ‘Gjert’, and ‘Gjert’ turned ‘the accused’.”
It was alleged in court docket final week that Gjert struck Jakob a number of instances after he acquired a destructive report about his behaviour from college when he was aged eight.
Jakob additionally stated that in 2008, when he was about the identical age, his father hit him within the face as a result of he was late for a race.
He described one other incident a yr later when he alleged Gjert kicked him within the abdomen after he fell off a scooter.
Jakob additionally alleged his father threatened him in 2016, and one other episode across the similar time when Gjert was stated to have thrown his video games console out of the window.