Gjert Ingebrigtsen, the father and former trainer of Norwegian athletics star Jakob Ingebrigtsen, has been cleared of abusing the two-time Olympic champion, but found guilty of violence against his daughter Ingrid.
In the climax of a trial that has gripped Norway, the court announced that there was insufficient evidence of Jakob’s claims that his father had overseen a childhood of fear and intimidation marked by violence and threats.
However, Gjert was found guilty of hitting Ingrid, now 19, in the face with a towel during a row in 2022.
Gjert has been given a suspended prison sentence of 15 days for the incident and fined 10,000 Norwegian Kroner (£745). Prosecutors had sought a two-and-half-year jail sentence against the 59-year-old.
Jakob, 24, won 1500m gold at the delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021 before winning the 5,000m title at the Paris Games of 2024. He also has two world titles over the longer distance.
He formally severed coaching ties from Gjert in 2022.
In a 31-page verdict, the court said there was no indication of the fear Jakob claimed Gjert inspired in a long-running television documentary following the family, or a recording made of an argument during a training camp in St Moritz in 2019.
“Jakob shows no signs of fear or submission in relation to the defendant,” the court said of the latter.
“He stands his ground and retaliates against the defendant’s verbal abuse.
“Violence in close relationships can occur in secret and remain hidden from the outside world.
“However, the explanations and recordings reviewed in the preceding paragraphs are difficult to reconcile with the prosecution’s claim that the defendant subjected Jakob to continuous and repeated abuse throughout the period from 2008 to 2018.
“Even though Jakob and his brothers and spouses have given credible statements, the total weight of the statements and other evidence reviewed means that the court must conclude that there is reasonable doubt about the defendant’s guilt.”
Gjert oversaw a training regime that propelled Jakob and his older brothers Henrik and Filip – both European champions – onto the world stage.
However, in October 2023, the three brothers wrote a joint article accusing Gjert of being” very aggressive and controlling” and using “physical violence and threats as part of their upbringing.”
Jakob claimed that his father had punched and kicked him while he was still in primary school and threatened to beat him to death during one argument.
Jakob, Henrik and Filip said they decided to publicly accuse their father after he hit their younger sister Ingrid in the face with a towel during a row in 2022 over whether she could go out with friends.
While admitting that he was a strict father with a “traditional and patriarchal” style of parenting, Gjert had denied that the charges against him, saying he was “over-protective” of his seven children.
“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 Gjert’s lawyer John Christian Elden.
