A case of beer instead of a fine for a poorly parked car has
landed a Vienna police officer a 7,200-euro (9,600-dollar) fine for
abuse of authority.
Seeing a police pennant inside a badly parked vehicle on a
Vienna street in April, the 28-year-old officer decided to let the
owner off a fine, thinking it belonged to a colleague, and left
instead a note: "This will cost you a case of beer" a court
heard.
And indeed, 24 bottles of lager were delivered to the police
station later in the day. But the offender was no police officer,
and the joker's superior reported the incident.
"It was stupid," the young officer told the court Wednesday,
insisting the note was only meant as a joke, and he had every
intention of returning the beer to his donor.