Crown Prince Frederik's guard escapes charges
The Local Denmark - [email protected]
Published: 15 Sep, 2015 CET.
Updated: Tue 15 Sep 2015 16:56 CET
State prosecutors said on Tuesday that one of Crown Prince Frederik’s bodyguards will no longer face traffic charges for a trip over a closed bridge that caused a media feeding frenzy earlier in the year.
The bodyguard who drove Crown Prince Frederik over the closed Great Belt Fixed Link (Storebæltsbroen) in January will no longer face charges, the public prosecutor office (Statsadvokaten) announced.
The bodyguard, who works for the Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) had been charged with violating traffic laws for his role in Crown Prince Frederik’s much-discussed January journey over the bridge.
Frederik’s vehicle crossed the bridge while it was was closed to all other traffic due to hurricane-strength winds and raised water levels. The prince’s bridge trip created scores of headlines and was slammed as “completely unacceptable” and “completely irresponsible”. The Danish Royal House and PET both ultimately had to issue public apologies in the wake of the public outcry.
The Independent Police Complaints Authority (Den Uafhængige Politiklagemyndighed - DUP) decided in April to charge the PET agent for violating the Danish Road Traffic Act but prosecutors said on Tuesday that it couldn’t be proven that Frederik’s vehicle was properly informed that it could not cross the bridge.
“In my view, it cannot be denied that those involved – because of the communication and the circumstances, including the opening of the bridge booms – had the impression that they could cross the bridge,” attorney Jan Reckendorff said in a statement.
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The bodyguard who drove Crown Prince Frederik over the closed Great Belt Fixed Link (Storebæltsbroen) in January will no longer face charges, the public prosecutor office (Statsadvokaten) announced.
The bodyguard, who works for the Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) had been charged with violating traffic laws for his role in Crown Prince Frederik’s much-discussed January journey over the bridge.
Frederik’s vehicle crossed the bridge while it was was closed to all other traffic due to hurricane-strength winds and raised water levels. The prince’s bridge trip created scores of headlines and was slammed as “completely unacceptable” and “completely irresponsible”. The Danish Royal House and PET both ultimately had to issue public apologies in the wake of the public outcry.
The Independent Police Complaints Authority (Den Uafhængige Politiklagemyndighed - DUP) decided in April to charge the PET agent for violating the Danish Road Traffic Act but prosecutors said on Tuesday that it couldn’t be proven that Frederik’s vehicle was properly informed that it could not cross the bridge.
“In my view, it cannot be denied that those involved – because of the communication and the circumstances, including the opening of the bridge booms – had the impression that they could cross the bridge,” attorney Jan Reckendorff said in a statement.
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