Advertisement

Police drop case of thief caught on camera

The Local Sweden
The Local Sweden - [email protected]
Police drop case of thief caught on camera
Happier times at Park Lane: Charles Simonyi and Lisa Persdotter celebrate thier wedding in 2008. Photo: Björn Larsson Rosvall/Scanpix

Damning video evidence and an apology from an alleged thief’s daughter were not enough to convince police that a well-known criminal had stolen hundreds of thousands of kronor worth of equipment from one of Gothenburg’s most popular night spots.

Advertisement

Park Lane nightclub, a dancing mecca in central Gothenburg, reported a break-in to the police after 200,000 kronor ($28,000) worth of sound equipment, CD players and clothing went missing over the Midsummer weekend in June.

After initial attempts to get hold of the police failed, the nightclub posted an obscured picture on Facebook that showed a man raiding the premises.

The alleged thief, who was quickly identified by members of the public, was known to the police for previous burglaries and substance abuse, said Park Lane chief executive Magnus Albrektson in a Facebook post.

The crook's daughter even contacted Albrektson to say that “dad regretted it”, said the club’s owner.

“The police also received a video in which you can see the thief unscrewing equipment from Park Lane’s DJ booth,” said Albrektson.

“The police also know the man’s name and where he lives – could it be any more clear?”

But instead of bringing the man to justice, the police shut down the preliminary investigation and said the case was now closed as “it cannot be ascertained that a crime was committed”.

Albrektson was not impressed:

“Is it any surprise that things are going straight to hell? Is it any surprise that people are turning to ‘less scrupulous figures’ to see justice served and get their things back? Deplorable is the word!”

Police investigators in Gothenburg were not available for comment when contacted by The Local. 

Update, 24/9/2014: Police say an administrative error made it appear the case was closed. In fact, they will present the results of the investigation to a prosecutor in the coming weeks, an investigator told newspaper Göteborgs-Posten.  

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also