Shopkeeper charged over beggar dousing
The Local/og - [email protected]
Published: 19 May, 2014 CET.
Updated: Mon 19 May 2014 16:56 CET
A Gothenburg shopkeeper has been charged over the drenching of a beggar with water in front of his shop in March, an incident which sparked an outraged response on social media.
The man was charged on Monday with two counts of harassment (ofredande). The first was for an incident on March 10th when he threw a bucket of warm water at his own Hemköp window, effectively soaking a beggar sitting nearby. The second charge was for the day after, when the man did the same thing with a bucket of cold water. On both occasions, the woman begging by the windows was drenched, and the prosecutor argued on Monday that both acts were carried out with intent. The supermarket chain apologized in person to the woman in question. The head of communications for the entire chain, which has 180 stores across Sweden, told The Local she made sure to have a translator with her so that she could communicate with the woman as well as possible. "She was very grateful that I was there and that we apologized, but I also wanted to hear how she had experienced the event," Maria Nobel told The Local at the time. The story hit a raw nerve with Swedes, many of whom have mixed feelings about the surge of people asking for money on street corners. The shopkeeper was relieved of his duties following the incident after he received threats.
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The man was charged on Monday with two counts of harassment (ofredande).
The first was for an incident on March 10th when he threw a bucket of warm water at his own Hemköp window, effectively soaking a beggar sitting nearby. The second charge was for the day after, when the man did the same thing with a bucket of cold water.
On both occasions, the woman begging by the windows was drenched, and the prosecutor argued on Monday that both acts were carried out with intent.
The supermarket chain apologized in person to the woman in question.
The head of communications for the entire chain, which has 180 stores across Sweden, told The Local she made sure to have a translator with her so that she could communicate with the woman as well as possible.
"She was very grateful that I was there and that we apologized, but I also wanted to hear how she had experienced the event," Maria Nobel told The Local at the time.
The story hit a raw nerve with Swedes, many of whom have mixed feelings about the surge of people asking for money on street corners.
The shopkeeper was relieved of his duties following the incident after he received threats.
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