Europe's news in English

COPY LINK

OFFBEAT

Apologetic thief nabbed by police mid-robbery

A man from southern Sweden was apprehended by police after trying to rob a Seven Eleven store with a knife and a handwritten note, apologizing in advance for any inconvenience.

Published: 3 November 2011 11:15 CET

Apologetic thief nabbed by police mid-robbery

The man, reportedly in his forties, told the court that he had been depressed, recently got divorced and was feeling rather worse for wear.

On top of that he had run up some gambling debts.

He desperately needed 12,000 kronor ($1,800) and was worried that a relative, from whom he had borrowed money, would get into trouble, and that he himself would lose his flat, according to local paper Skånskan.

As the day rent was due approached, the man grew increasingly worried and penned a note saying:

”Hello! This is a robbery! Don’t panic, I am not going to hurt you. Just do what I say! Put 12,000 kronor in the bag. I want no more than that! I am really sorry about this!”

After writing the note, the man got on a random train, and subsequently got off at Lund train station.

There he hid the knife in the sleeve of his coat, and when he spotted a Seven Eleven store close to the station he decided to take his chances.

In the shop, the man started feeling nervous and decided a snack might help. He purchased a hot dog to calm his nerves.

Though he was agonizing about what he was about to do, he felt he had to go through with it.

At first, staff thought he was joking, but the man was adamant that he was serious and that he had a weapon.

Several staff members came over and read the note. When they realised it was for real they became frightened, according to Skånskan.

However, staff managed to press the alarm button several times during the exchange.

Police arrived shortly after and were able to arrest the man on the spot without any violence.

The district court in Lund decided that despite the normal sentence for the offence being 6 months imprisonment, the extenuating circumstances in this particular case meant that it was more appropriate to sentence the apologetic robber to probation.

The man, who didn’t have a previous criminal history, said during the trial that he always expected to be stopped by police.

As part of his sentence the court ruled that the man will undergo treatment for his mental problems, according to Skånskan.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.

Become a Member to leave a comment.

Swiss military members walk across a road carrying guns

A new lawsuit seeks to challenge Switzerland's male-only military service requirement. Is this discriminatory? FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

All men aged between the ages of 18 and 30 are required to complete compulsory military service in Switzerland.

A lawsuit which worked its way through the Swiss courts has now ended up in the European Court of Human Rights, where the judges will decide if Switzerland’s male-only conscription requirement violates anti-discrimination rules.

Switzerland’s NZZ newspaper wrote on Monday the case has “explosive potential” and has “what it takes to cause a tremor” to a policy which was first laid out in Switzerland’s 1848 and 1874 Federal Constitutions.

What is Switzerland’s compulsory military service?

Article 59 of the Federal Constitution of Switzerland says “Every man with Swiss citizenship is liable for military service. Alternative civilian service shall be provided for by law.”

Recruits must generally do 18 weeks of boot camp (longer in some cases).

They are then required to spend several weeks in the army every year until they have completed a minimum 245 days of service.

Military service is compulsory for Swiss men aged 18 and over. Women can chose to do military service but this is rare.

What about national rather than military service?

Introduced in 1996, this is an alternative to the army, originally intended for those who objected to military service on moral grounds.

READ MORE: The Swiss army’s growing problem with civilian service

Service is longer there than in the army, from the age of 20 to 40.

This must be for 340 days in total, longer than the military service requirement.

What about foreigners and dual nationals?

Once you become a Swiss citizen and are between the ages of 18 and 30, you can expect to be conscripted.

READ MORE: Do naturalised Swiss citizens have to do military service?

In general, having another citizenship in addition to the Swiss one is not going to exempt you from military service in Switzerland.

However, there is one exception: the obligation to serve will be waved, provided you can show that you have fulfilled your military duties in your other home country.

If you are a Swiss (naturalised or not) who lives abroad, you are not required to serve in the military in Switzerland, though you can voluntarily enlist.

How do Swiss people feel about military and national service?

Generally, the obligation is viewed relatively positively, both by the general public and by those who take part in compulsory service.

While several other European countries have gotten rid of mandatory service, a 2013 referendum which attempted to abolish conscription was rejected by 73 percent of Swiss voters.

What is the court case and what does it say?

Martin D. Küng, the lawyer from the Swiss canton of Bern who has driven the case through the courts, has a personal interest in its success.

He was found unfit for service but is still required to pay an annual bill to the Swiss government, which was 1662CHF for the last year he was required to pay it.

While the 36-year-old no longer has to pay the amount – the obligation only lasts between the ages of 18 and 30 – Küng is bring the case on principle.

So far, Küng has had little success in the Swiss courts, with his appeal rejected by the cantonal administrative court and later by the Swiss Federal Supreme Court.

Previous Supreme Court cases, when hearing objections to men-only military service, said that women are less suitable for conscription due to “physiological and biological differences”.

In Küng’s case, the judges avoided this justification, saying instead that the matter was a constitutional issue.

‘No objective reason why only men have to do military service’

He has now appealed the decision to the European level.

While men have previously tried and failed when taking their case to the Supreme Court, no Swiss man has ever brought the matter to the European Court of Human Rights.

Küng told the NZZ that he considered the rule to be unjust and said the Supreme Court’s decision is based on political considerations.

“I would have expected the Federal Supreme Court to have the courage to clearly state the obvious in my case and not to decide on political grounds,” Küng said.

“There is no objective reason why only men have to do military service or pay replacement taxes. On average, women may not be as physically productive as men, but that is not a criterion for excluding them from compulsory military service.

There are quite a few men who cannot keep up with women in terms of stamina. Gender is simply the wrong demarcation criterion for deciding on compulsory service. If so, then one would have to focus on physical performance.”

Is it likely to pass?

Küng is optimistic that the Strasbourg court will find in his favour, pointing to a successful appeal by a German man who complained about a fire brigade tax, which was only imposed on men.

“This question has not yet been conclusively answered by the court” Küng said.

The impact of a decision in his favour could be considerable, with European law technically taking precedence over Swiss law.

It would set Switzerland on a collision course with the bloc, particularly given the popularity of the conscription provision.

Küng clarified that political outcomes and repercussions don’t concern him.

“My only concern is for a court to determine that the current regulation is legally wrong.”

Url copied to clipboard!