After he parked the car in the parking lot outside the hamburger restaurant in Landskrona, the military asked his superior if he could leave the weapon in the car and was told, according to his own statement, that he could as long as the weapon was hidden and the car was locked and under supervision. The superior referred to a handbook on weapons handling, but what was actually in the book was not checked.
The manual states that the vital part, i.e. a part of the weapon that can be removed and without which the weapon cannot be fired, must be under constant supervision. Something that was not done because during the stop the military also went to the toilet and made purchases at a gas station next door.
Judged against his denial
But despite the fact that he was not fully informed about it by his superior, the district court believes that the military, with his training as a professional soldier, should have understood how to handle the situation differently.
The car had military license plates and the party were dressed in military clothing, which may have attracted attention.
The restaurant visit lasted approximately 45 minutes and during that time, according to the verdict, the military did not go out and check on the vehicle even once.
May lose job
The court states that there is no indication that the military man acted intentionally, but nevertheless sentences him for misconduct because he is considered to have acted negligently.
Because, according to the verdict, the incident “led to a life-threatening weapon with associated ammunition falling into the wrong hands”, he is sentenced to daily fines totaling SEK 21,000.
According to a document from the Norwegian Armed Forces’ Personnel Responsibility Committee, the military may also lose their jobs, but no decision has yet been made on that matter.
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The military thought the weapon was well hidden under the passenger seat – but while he was eating hamburgers, there was a break-in and the AK5 was stolen. Photo: SVT