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Prankster convicted for office gas cloud blast

TT/Rebecca Martin
TT/Rebecca Martin - [email protected]
Prankster convicted for office gas cloud blast

An explosive workplace prank that injured four coworkers in western Sweden has resulted in a criminal conviction for the man behind the failed gag, according to a report in local paper Hallands Nyheter.

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The man, reportedly in his fifties, has a reputation as a bit of a prankster and enjoyed playing tricks on his colleagues from time to time.

According to the man himself, it was not an unheard of activity at the company in Varberg, in southern Sweden, where employees seemed to enjoy a good joke.

But when the man decided in February to change the hose connections on a flux bin, containing a chemical agent used in metallurgy, things didn't go as planned.

Despite the man's claims that he had performed the stunt numerous times before as a joke, his shenanigans caused a gas cloud to form which then ignited, causing a powerful explosion.

The man sustained serious injuries in the blast, as his hair and clothes caught on fire, resulting in a lengthy hospital stay.

A few of his colleagues were also injured. One woman's clothes caught fire and she sustained a lasting hearing impairment from the blast.

Two other colleagues who had been close by when the explosion occurred suffered passing hearing problems and one received burns to his face.

Cases of negligent behaviour often carry suspended sentences and damages in Sweden.

But prior to the trial the prosecutor had said if the court found that the man had acted especially negligent, a prison sentence was not an impossibility.

”If this borders on intent, a prison sentence could be on the cards,” said prosecutor Marie-Louise Eskilstorp to local paper Hallands Nyheter before the sentencing.

However, although the court ruled that the man must have known of the potential consequences of his actions, it did not believe he had purposefully intended to hurt his colleagues.

The failed prankster therefore received a suspended sentence for negligent behaviour causing bodily harm to his co-workers.

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