A 60-year-old Swedish man has been found guilty of assaulting the driver of a ride-on lawnmower which he claimed was making the local horses “hysterical”. Sundsvall District Crown Court rejected the man’s claims that he was acting in self defence as the enraged beasts could be a danger to humans in the area.
According to local newspaper Dagbladet, the 60 year-old attempted to throw the driver from his mower when he heard it starting up in June this year. Shaken but not dislodged, the surprised gardener accidently drove into a ditch before the other man successfully knocked him to the ground.
Undeterred, the driver returned to his noisy activity shortly after, only to see the 60 year-old race back towards him and throw him off his perch once again. In court, however, the defendant claimed he was simply trying to tell the driver that the mower was scaring the horses.
The 60 year-old has been ordered to pay SEK 6,500 (EUR 710) to the victim and will serve 50 hours community service for assault.