Lasse Ottosen: “It has haunted me every day.” Lasse Ottosen, 60 years old, has come forward to share his side of an incident that has weighed heavily on his mind daily since it occurred. In 2021, Ottosen was sentenced to 40 days of suspended imprisonment for threats and attempted unlawful coercion against the leader of the Socialist People’s Party (SF), Pia Olsen Dyhr. The incident has come back into focus after Pia Olsen Dyhr publicly spoke about the incident for the first time at this year’s People’s Meeting (Folkemøde).
The incident took place in March 2021 when Lasse Ottosen was cycling on a path system in Amager in Copenhagen. Pia Olsen Dyhr, who was running on the path with headphones on, did not hear Ottosen’s warnings as he tried to pass. He yelled to get her to move, which startled her and made her “collapse on the path,” as Ottosen describes it. Ottosen explains that he went back to check if Dyhr needed help, but became angry when she yelled at him not to do anything to her. He admits to yelling that she should shut up, but denies threatening to kill her, as the verdict claims.
According to him, the two got into a heated discussion, which escalated when Pia Olsen Dyhr took out her mobile phone to photograph him. He admits to yelling that she should stop taking pictures and that he may have threatened to throw her phone in the water. In February 2022, Lasse Ottosen was convicted in Copenhagen City Court and received a suspended prison sentence. However, the court did not find it proven that Ottosen knew he was arguing with Pia Olsen Dyhr, which is why he was acquitted of threats under section 119 of the Penal Code, which deals with violence or threats against a public official in function.
Three years after the incident, Ottosen still carries the burden of the event every day, especially when he walks his dog on the path where it happened. He is considering writing a letter to Pia Olsen Dyhr to express how much the incident still affects him. “I want to tell her that it’s not just her feeling bad about it. I still feel bad, and I think about what happened every day,” he says. Lasse Ottosen, who is now retired on disability pension, mentions that a stroke in the brain stem has affected his ability to handle situations. “I’ve had a harder time dealing with things. But I am a social guy. I do know how to talk to people,” he says. 365nyt.dk has tried to get a comment from Pia Olsen Dyhr, but she has not wanted to comment on the case.