Case concluded

About judgments

The judge announces where and when the judgment will be pronounced. An attempt is made to pronounce judgments before one month has passed since the main hearing.

A judgment is the court's written conclusion in the case. It is then published on the District Court's website, but your name and the names of witnesses are not published.

Judgments include:

• Who was charged, the person's name, identification number or date of birth, and address.
• The main content of the indictment.
• What was demanded.
• The main points of the case.
• The judge's reasoning for what is considered proven in the case.
• The judge's reasoning for the decision on punishment, compensation claim, and legal costs. Legal costs are independent of your compensation claim.

Guilty or acquitted

Now it will be revealed whether the perpetrator will face punishment or whether they are acquitted.

Acquittal

If the perpetrator is not found guilty, the judge did not find it possible to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the offense occurred. This does not mean that the judge does not believe you.

It can be difficult to accept that the perpetrator receives no punishment. Therefore, it is important that you take care of yourself and your mental health. It is good to get support from family and friends, along with a psychologist or counselors from victim support centers.

Conviction

Your perpetrator has been found guilty of committing an offense against you. This can help you move on with your life, but it is also normal for all kinds of feelings to arise. It is always important that you continue to take care of your mental health.

The judge decides whether the perpetrator goes to prison and for how long. The length of the sentence can depend on various factors, including age, prior offenses, and how likely it is that they will re-offend.

Unconditional sentence

The accused is sentenced to prison.

Conditional sentence

The decision on punishment is postponed on the condition that the defendant does not commit an offense during that time. It is permissible to impose further conditions on the convicted person, such as that they may not consume alcohol or other intoxicants.

Appeal to the Court of Appeal (Landsréttur)

If the judgment is appealed, it means that the case will not end here, and the proceedings continue. This can happen whether the perpetrator was convicted or acquitted. Judgments in district court are appealed to the Court of Appeal (Landsréttur).

The convicted appeals

If the defendant is found guilty in the case, they have 4 weeks to appeal.

The Director of Public Prosecutions appeals

The Director of Public Prosecutions can decide to appeal the judgment if it is believed that the perpetrator was acquitted when they should have been found guilty or if the punishment is considered too lenient. They also have 4 weeks to appeal.

When is the case considered closed?

Your case is considered closed in the judicial system when:

• The investigation has been discontinued. See The case is investigated.
• It has been dropped due to the state of the evidence. See Indicted or dropped?
• A final judgment has been pronounced.

Waiting for the judgment

An attempt is made to pronounce judgments within a month of the trial.