Man fined $560 for farting at police
A man in Austria has been fined for a very unusual act. His "crime" was "farting loudly in front of police officers". The unnamed man was sitting on a bench in Austria's capital Vienna. The Vienna Police Department tweeted earlier this week about the man's actions. It described what happened after police officers approached the man. It wrote: "He rose slightly from the park bench, looked at the officers, and apparently intentionally released a massive fart in the immediate vicinity of the officers." The police immediately gave the man a fine. The offence was for "violating public decency by loudly blowing a bowel in front of police officers". It was also for making, "an unduly disturbing noise".
The fine issued to the man is for 500 euro – about $560. If the man does not pay the fine within five days, he could go to prison for five days. The Austrian police have defended their actions and say the officers were right to issue the fine. A spokesperson said the man had been doing other annoying things before he farted. The police officers who issued the fine said the man was misbehaving. They said that he had been behaving in a way that would upset other people. The spokesperson said the man only had one thing on his mind when he stood up in front of police officers, and that was to fart at them. The officers said he, "let go a massive intestinal wind apparently with full intent".