State pays for drunk driver's wine
A man from northern Sweden is to receive compensation from the state after he had his box wine confiscated by police in connection with a drink driving conviction.
Sweden's highest legal representative, the Chancellor of Justice (Justitiekanslern - JK), has ordered the state to pay 150 kronor ($18) in damages to the man, from Örnsköldsvik, who was stopped by police for driving under the influence in November 2004.
The drunk driver's two and a half litre box of wine was confiscated and held in police storage until a prosecutor ordered for it to be returned to its owner in April 2007.
But the tippling motorist soon found that the wine had lost all its flavour and called on the Chancellor of Justice to either cover the cost of the wine or buy him a new box.
The prosecutor's office, conceding that it should not have returned the wine it to its owner in such poor condition, recommended the Chancellor of Justice to give the man enough money to buy a new box wine.
In most cases, alcoholic drinks are confiscated and destroyed if there is a suspicion of drunk driving, according to the prosecutor's office. If the decision to confiscate is reversed, the suspect is generally awarded damages to cover the cost of the goods destroyed.
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Sweden's highest legal representative, the Chancellor of Justice (Justitiekanslern - JK), has ordered the state to pay 150 kronor ($18) in damages to the man, from Örnsköldsvik, who was stopped by police for driving under the influence in November 2004.
The drunk driver's two and a half litre box of wine was confiscated and held in police storage until a prosecutor ordered for it to be returned to its owner in April 2007.
But the tippling motorist soon found that the wine had lost all its flavour and called on the Chancellor of Justice to either cover the cost of the wine or buy him a new box.
The prosecutor's office, conceding that it should not have returned the wine it to its owner in such poor condition, recommended the Chancellor of Justice to give the man enough money to buy a new box wine.
In most cases, alcoholic drinks are confiscated and destroyed if there is a suspicion of drunk driving, according to the prosecutor's office. If the decision to confiscate is reversed, the suspect is generally awarded damages to cover the cost of the goods destroyed.
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