Gothenburg teen behind 'homeless beggar' hoax

A 13-year-old boy has revealed that a mock-up of a homeless man that caused a stir in Gothenburg this week was actually part of a school art project.

• Profit hunt dampens housing construction (17 Jun 13)
• 32 police officers hurt in Stockholm riots (15 Jun 13)
• Vasaloppet brings risk of irregular heartbeat: study (12 Jun 13)

The young student, identified only as Adam by regional newspaper GT, said he thought homelessness had become a a common sight on the streets of his hometown.

"Partly I did it as something fun, partly I did it because beggars are part of the city now," he told GT.

"Some people give money without really checking who they're giving it to. I wanted to show that things aren't always what they seem."

Adam told GT that he made the life-size doll out of cardboard and second-hand clothing.

He then placed the doll at the city's train station, before carrying it over to a park near the central thoroughfare Avenyn.

The mysterious "fake beggar" went on to garner national media attention after national news agency TT wrote about the doll, quoting a police spokesman who theorized it could be a case of fraud.

The doll, which even had a beer can in its hand, even attracted the attention of several passersby.

"I was standing a short distance away and filming how people reacted, that's part of the project," he told GT, explaining that the entire installation is part of a school art assignment.

In the end, a passer-by had placed seven kronor ($1.10) next to the mock-up, a sum that Adam eventually chose to gave to a real life person asking for money on the street.

The Local/at
Follow The Local on Twitter