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Swedish pensioner ‘pulled fake gun’ on salesman

A Swedish pensioner, 64, is facing court after she allegedly threatened a door-to-door internet subscriptions salesman with an airsoft gun, forcing the man to hide on a roof.

Swedish pensioner 'pulled fake gun' on salesman
A file photo of an airsoft gun not linked to the story. Photo: AP Photo/Eric Risberg

The 24-year-old seller, peddling fast fibre broadband deals on behalf of Viasat and Swedish telecom giant Telia, told the court he knocked on the woman's door one February evening at around 6pm.

“I said: 'Hi, my name is XX and I'm from Viasat. We are here in cooperation with Telia open fibre. The woman then says: We've already got fibre. Then she slammed the door shut,” he told police after the incident, according to court documents quoted by Aftonbladet ahead of the trial at Gothenburg District Court.

The man said he kneeled down outside the door to tick her address off her list, but was stopped in his tracks when the woman re-opened the door, pointing a firearm at his head. An airsoft gun is a replica weapon which is loaded with pellets and is non-lethal, but looks very realistic.

The 64-year-old, on the other hand, recounted how she had been enjoying whisky and wine with a friend that evening, telling police: “The bastard remained outside my door. He was sitting on the steps and I went and got my son's airsoft gun. I felt threatened in my situation as a pensioner.”

“He was there on his knees. What business did he have there? I wanted to scare him.”

It appears to have had the desired effect and then some, because the frightened and shocked salesman fled to a roof nearby, fearing that the soft airgun-wielding pensioner was chasing him.

Two hours later police arrested the woman at her home, where an airsoft gun was found underneath her pillow. However, according to the preliminary investigation, she was too drunk to be questioned at the time.

The woman admits pointing the replica weapon towards the 24-year-old's head, but denies the charges.