Motorist who claimed four body builders moved his car has parking fine increased ninety-fold

A man who complained to police that four large men had moved his car into a no-parking zone regretted his action this week when a €60 parking fine turned into a €5,400 penalty for lying to the police.

The man had parked his car in a restricted area in the Austrian town of Korneuburg, and was ticketed for the minor infraction. Unfortunately, a few days after receiving the ticket, the man decided to complain to police.



"I came back to my car, and noticed it had been moved closer to the street corner.  There was a ticket under the windshield wiper. A stranger told me that four body-builder types had jumped out of a limousine, and had lifted up my car and moved it to where the parking police found it. Of course, I had left it parked correctly."

The 68-year-old man was warned by officials over the risks of making a false statement to police. After persisting, however, he was accused of perjury, and was this week fined €5,400 (£3,800, $5,750). "I have rarely heard such nonsense," said judge Manfred Hohenecker when ruling on the case. The man still has the right to appeal his sentence and a fine 90 times larger than the original ticket.