The mother of Johannes Natland hopes that her son can be transferred back to his homeland to serve his sentence as she shares an insight into his life behind bars
The mother of 19-year-old Johannes Natland, who travelled to Britain from Norway to carry out a “hit” for a Swedish gang, has opened up about his time behing bars.
Natland was thwarted when police swooped to arrest him in a hotel room in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, after being found to be in possession of two firearms and 19 rounds of ammunition. The Old Bailey heard how the talented footballer, 19, had been tasked by organised crime group Foxtrot Network to carry out criminal activity on behalf of the Iranian regime.
The murder target of the Scandinavian group, which has been sanctioned by the UK government, has never been identified. Following a retrial, Natland heard the jury’s unanimous guilty verdict today after they deliberated for more than 17 hours. He showed no emotion in the dock as the decision was read out.
Natland pleaded guilty to possession of the firearms and ammunition, but had denied the conspiracy charge. CTP London officers uncovered a significant amount of evidence demonstrating that he was fully aware he was being asked to kill someone in the UK.
Giving evidence, Natland claimed that he was not intending to carry out the assassination but was instead intending to ‘shoot himself in the foot’, as a way to avoid repercussions if he refused the mission. However, after hearing the evidence throughout the trial, the jury found him guilty of conspiracy to commit murder.
Natland will be sentenced at the Old Bailey in October.
Natland’s mum, Ellen, hopes that her son can be transferred back to his homeland to serve his sentence. She told MailOnline: “The [prison] conditions [in the UK] are very different from in Norway. Johannes keeps his head down and has spent a lot of time saying, “I’m Norwegian,” so not a part of any of the [English] gangs.
“He didn’t believe he would survive a year in prison. I don’t think he would have if we hadn’t been there every other week.”
Johannes is ‘scared to death’ of a potentially lengthy sentence, Ellen said. She added: “Johannes is treated more like an animal already. It is crazy. All of us are crushed. Our son is not a violent person, he has no criminal record, he has never harmed anyone and would never do so.”
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of CTP London, said: “Due to the swift and professional work of CTP London officers, supported by officers from West Yorkshire Police and CTP North East, Natland was arrested before he was able to carry out a murder in the UK.
“This investigation highlights the importance of the strong links with our international law enforcement partners to counter the very real threat of criminal organisations across European borders. We’ve worked particularly closely with colleagues from Norwegian law enforcement authorities and as a result, we have stopped somebody from being assassinated here in the UK.
“Our investigation, which remains ongoing, has also resulted in two lethal weapons and ammunition being taken out of criminal hands and off the streets of the UK which has undoubtedly made the public safer.”
