14 DAY TRIAL // There is this one deity that many claim likes to work in mysterious ways, but it just so happens that, in some cases, legal systems take way longer winding roads that lead to absolute nonsense.
In a nutshell, word has it that, not too long ago, a paid assassin was fined for failing to honor a killing contract. Apparently, the law decided that his not executing his target made him guilty of fraud.
The details of this odd case
Reports say that this incident, which might just be most bizarre to make headlines in quite a while, occurred in Norway. Unfortunately, the details surroundings this case are, at least for now, scarce.
It is understood that the hitman, identified as a 21-year-old man but whose name is yet to be revealed, was hired by another 21-year-old to execute a teenager.
Specifically, it is said that the targeted victim was a 17-year-old girl whom the paid assassin was supposed to shoot dead in exchange for about £5,150 (about €6,650 / $7,800).
In case anyone was wondering, it looks like the 21-year-old who ordered the killing did so because he was seriously pissed off at the girl for having turned down his romantic advances.
The thing is that, long before the hitman even had a chance to honor his contract, the police learned about this plot to kill the teenager and arrested both the assassin and his contractor.
Killing contracts are legally binding
Having arrested the hitman, police officers in Norway failed to find evidence that he really wanted to assassinate the 17-year-old in exchange for money. Hence, they could not charge him with conspiracy to killing.
In a seriously messed-up attempt to teach him a lesson, they decided to accuse him of being in breach of a contract. One thing led to another, and the hitman found himself being fined £850 (some €1,100 / $1,300) for fraud.
The man was not sentenced to jail time, and after paying the fine, he was allowed to return home to friends and family. The 21-year-old who hired him, on the other hand, will spend a couple of years behind bars.
Truth be told, this story sounds just a tad surreal. Add to this the fact that, as mentioned, the details of this case are scarce, and perhaps it might not be such a bad idea to add just a grain of salt to it.