Jail term for Swede who kidnapped himself

A Swedish man who faked his own kidnapping in order to extort money from his parents has been sentenced to 10 months in prison. An appeals court agreed with the prosecution that the 29-year-old should also be charged with aggravated fraud after he pleaded guilty to extortion.

According to local paper Västerbottenskuriren (VK), after hiding out with an accomplice for a few days in Umeå, the man telephoned his parents and said his “kidnappers” were demanding SEK 15,000 (EUR 1,649) for his release. The couple handed the money over, but afterwards alerted the police who investigated the matter.

After interviewing the 29-year-old’s friends, officers discovered that he had being staying with his 52-year-old accomplice during the time that he had allegedly been kidnapped. The younger man had also failed to pay several hotel bills in the days leading up to the scam.

The 29-year-old, who has previously been convicted of fraud, assault and robbery, according to VK, was sentenced to 10 months in jail this week. His accomplice was let off with a probationary sentence.

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