Man Told Girlfriend He Had Been Kidnapped, Sparked Manchester Police Hunt, But Was Actually Out Partying

A man who told his girlfriend he had been kidnapped as an excuse to stay out partying sparked an overnight man-hunt, Greater Manchester Police said.

The 32-year-old made his girlfriend believe he was being held hostage and that his "kidnapper" would not let him return until he had paid a £50 debt.

In fact, he was enjoying himself at a house party in Bolton in the early hours of this morning.

Detective Inspector Jo Clawson said it was "without doubt one of the most foolish and irresponsible incidents I have been involved in".

The girlfriend who was "beside herself" called police after speaking to his "kidnapper" on the phone and receiving a number of text messages.

More than a dozen officers began an urgent investigation, which included house to house enquiries, checking CCTV and analysing mobile phone data in a bid to find him.

A number of houses were searched and a man arrested on suspicion of kidnap - but he was later released when he admitted it was a "ruse" to allow his friend to stay out longer.

Police then tracked down the time-waster at the party in Shurmer Street shortly before 1.30am.

Detective Inspector Jo Clawson said: "The man's girlfriend was absolutely beside herself with worry and genuinely concerned that he would come to harm.

"Rightfully, based on what she knew at the time, the matter was reported to police.

"Considerable resources and time then went into finding this man, who it transpires made the entire thing up so he could stay out and party.

"This is without doubt one of the most foolish and irresponsible incidents I have been involved in.

"Significant resources were taken off the front line on a Friday night, which is without exception one of the busiest times of the week."

She added that he was "fortunate" to not have been charged but that officers decided not to waste more police resources and public money by putting him through the court system.
Instead he was given a fixed penalty notice for wasting police time and the matter was recorded as a criminal conviction on his record.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/08/23/kidnap-man-party-manchest_n_5702557.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

What an idiot, seriously, but it did also make me laugh, with about the most stupidest lie to tell someone.

 

THE girlfriend there is just as stupid as her [ex- ?]"boyfriend", for being gullible enough for hooking up with such a moronic loser in the first place !

Not that I would do anything so stupid BUT...I would have refused the fixed penalty notice and thus forced a court hearing

on the grounds that

he did NOT in any way involve the police.
granted it could be argued that he should have known they would be, but THAT does not constitute reason for conviction, since

It can be argued that he did not know his girlfriend would call the police, (since to argue thus would require proof that he knew her well enough to be able to accurately judge her actions under such circumstances).

the police statement that they decided NOT to prosecute on the grounds of time and expense shows that they KNEW they would be onto a loser, so they used the "get out" method of coercing (read terrorising) prats into accepting their "cautions" and "fixed penalties"

Oh come on Victor what rational person what not have called the Police?
She was worried rightly out of her mind, whether she is a gullible idiot is besides the point, the Police were called and spend valued time looking for an idiot partying.
He was a twat, granted he funniest excuse I have heard, but still a right wally, to scare his partner half to death

Didge wrote:Oh come on Victor what rational person what not have called the Police?
She was worried rightly out of her mind, whether she is a gullible idiot is besides the point, the Police were called and spend valued time looking for an idiot partying.
He was a twat, granted he funniest excuse I have heard, but still a right wally, to scare his partner half to death

Im not discussing his "sanity"...merely the legal principles behind this new fashion of the police issuing these "cautions" and fixed penalties....often WITHOUT explaining very carefully to the person involved that this will result in a criminal record and the implications thereof.

they should never have been given that power....

victorisnotamused wrote:

Didge wrote:Oh come on Victor what rational person what not have called the Police?
She was worried rightly out of her mind, whether she is a gullible idiot is besides the point, the Police were called and spend valued time looking for an idiot partying.
He was a twat, granted he funniest excuse I have heard, but still a right wally, to scare his partner half to death

Im not discussing his "sanity"...merely the legal principles behind this new fashion of the police issuing these "cautions" and fixed penalties....often WITHOUT explaining very carefully to the person involved that this will result in a criminal record and the implications thereof.

they should never have been given that power....

Who cares about the legal babble Victor, he ended up created untold trouble based upon a silly lie

Didge wrote:

victorisnotamused wrote:

Im not discussing his "sanity"...merely the legal principles behind this new fashion of the police issuing these "cautions" and fixed penalties....often WITHOUT explaining very carefully to the person involved that this will result in a criminal record and the implications thereof.

they should never have been given that power....

Who cares about the legal babble Victor, he ended up created untold trouble based upon a silly lie

Oh i dont disagree didge, however the real truth is that you cant (or at least shouldnt) be prosecuted simply for being a dickhead and certainly NOT to the point of getting a criminal record without a trial, simply because the sargeant of the local plod is bellowing in your ear...

victorisnotamused wrote:

Didge wrote:


Who cares about the legal babble Victor, he ended up created untold trouble based upon a silly lie

Oh i dont disagree didge, however the real truth is that you cant (or at least shouldnt) be prosecuted simply for being a dickhead and certainly NOT to the point of getting a criminal record without a trial, simply because the sargeant of the local plod is bellowing in your ear...

Okay fair point Victor, but what cost of man hours of wasted Police time should he pay?

Didge wrote:

victorisnotamused wrote:

Oh i dont disagree didge, however the real truth is that you cant (or at least shouldnt) be prosecuted simply for being a dickhead and certainly NOT to the point of getting a criminal record without a trial, simply because the sargeant of the local plod is bellowing in your ear...

Okay fair point Victor, but what cost of man hours of wasted Police time should he pay?

how much should he pay? hmmm...good question....

i would say all of it, however our barmy system would dictate otherwise ...

lets look at a few issues, which may be of interest....

firstly, lets ignore the whole "ethical issues about shooting in general and stick to stark legal principles

the firearms certificate.....

the price of this is set to rise...by how much is still a moot point, and i would agree that the present fee is if anything to low IF you assume that the certificate owners should indeed pay. there is however good legal principles to say that the certificate owners should in fact pay nothing

firstly there is a constitutional RIGHT to own firearms
secondll the certificate is NOT a "licence" in the sense that for instance a driving licence is. the certificate is a "certificate of fitness to own"
it is NOT a certifiace of competance like a driving licence
and its is SOLEY for the ~(justifiable) protection of the public...hence the "public" should pay

a driving licence IS a licence as such...it authorises the carring out of an action that would otherwise be illegal..you have NO constitutional right to drive a vehicle....(although you do have the right to own one without a licence)

although this difference is subtle it is neverthe les essential to the argument...the law cannot demand a licence for something which is an automatic constitutional right, what it can and RIGHTLY DOES do is demand of those whishing to take advantage of that right, proof of their "fitness to excercise that right". however since that proof is (legally speaking) soley for public benefit the public should as i say pay for it.

NOW

looking further afield

the cost of policing "pub and club" areas in towns is astronomical, and the cost of that falls on everyone in the individual police precept (parishes ?) area...thus I have to pay part of that through the police precept on my rates...even though I dont attend such dives....

Now it is my contention that the pubs and clubs in such areas should be the ones to pay, by additional local authority taxes to account for the full amount of such policing...


AND

we have just been visited by the anual pikey migration to the Anderton horse fair this last week, with the consequent immense police bill...why should we have to pay for that...its not like we benefit in any way from the pikey presence..they however DO benefit by having a place to "rest for a week" so shouldnt THEY be billed for it?..or the land owner who permits them to camp there(and benfits finacially to a considerable degree)

so we come to this idiot....yes he should pay for all the costs he involved the police in...he should not however be saddled with a criminal record for it, this was stupid "dickheadedness" not malice...

Blimey, too complicated for one night mate and have things to resolve Victor, so please allow me to respond tomorrow, though what you posted I really have no issue with.


All the best

nps didge....catch you tomorrow sometime

asshat....

why in this day and age with all the previous examples do people like him persist in saying crap like this? same with there's a bomb on the plane?

my guess is that they haven't come up with a stupid cure.....

Didge wrote:Oh come on Victor what rational person what not have called the Police?
She was worried rightly out of her mind, whether she is a gullible idiot is besides the point, the Police were called and spend valued time looking for an idiot partying.
He was a twat, granted he funniest excuse I have heard, but still a right wally, to scare his partner half to death

I tend to agree with Victor, Didge.  I don't see the crime.  He didn't report anything.  The cops clearly overreacted.  Now you might take the position that this is not a legal matter, but a domestic one.  But, lying to the wife/girlfriend to stay out at the pub for a few more is an old and venerable tradition.  Obviously Vic and I have been there.   

Consider the reverse: The wife/girlfriend says she has a headache, so no sex tonight.  Now, if that got to first responders and they came rushing out with lights and sirens, wouldn't she be in her rights if she said: Fook off you ignorant cowbells!

If we are going to put boundaries on the bullshiet we hand to our spouses, isn't that further destruction of the family values we so highly regard?  I mean, how many marriages does a little bullshiet now and then save?

Original Quill wrote:

Didge wrote:Oh come on Victor what rational person what not have called the Police?
She was worried rightly out of her mind, whether she is a gullible idiot is besides the point, the Police were called and spend valued time looking for an idiot partying.
He was a twat, granted he funniest excuse I have heard, but still a right wally, to scare his partner half to death

I tend to agree with Victor, Didge.  I don't see the crime.  He didn't report anything.  The cops clearly overreacted.  Now you might take the position that this is not a legal matter, but a domestic one.  But, lying to the wife/girlfriend to stay out at the pub for a few more is an old and venerable tradition.  Obviously Vic and I have been there.    

Consider the reverse: The wife/girlfriend says she has a headache, so no sex tonight.  Now, if that got to first responders and they came rushing out with lights and sirens, wouldn't she be in her rights if she said: Fook off you ignorant cowbells!

If we are going to put boundaries on the bullshiet we hand to our spouses, isn't that further destruction of the family values we so highly regard?  I mean, how many marriages does a little bullshiet now and then save?

 ::smthg:: ::smthg:: ::smthg:: ::smthg:: ::smthg:: ::smthg:: ::smthg:: 

Original Quill wrote:

Didge wrote:Oh come on Victor what rational person what not have called the Police?
She was worried rightly out of her mind, whether she is a gullible idiot is besides the point, the Police were called and spend valued time looking for an idiot partying.
He was a twat, granted he funniest excuse I have heard, but still a right wally, to scare his partner half to death

I tend to agree with Victor, Didge.  I don't see the crime.  He didn't report anything.  The cops clearly overreacted.  Now you might take the position that this is not a legal matter, but a domestic one.  But, lying to the wife/girlfriend to stay out at the pub for a few more is an old and venerable tradition.  Obviously Vic and I have been there.    

Consider the reverse: The wife/girlfriend says she has a headache, so no sex tonight.  Now, if that got to first responders and they came rushing out with lights and sirens, wouldn't she be in her rights if she said: Fook off you ignorant cowbells!

If we are going to put boundaries on the bullshiet we hand to our spouses, isn't that further destruction of the family values we so highly regard?  I mean, how many marriages does a little bullshiet now and then save?

It may not have been a  crime, but his stupidity has wasted Police resources and I fail to see anything amusing about where someone is scared half to death because such a dick has claimed he has been kidnapped, especially in light of what is happening to such victims of kidnapping, try picturing this before you and Victor find something so amusing.
To waste so many officers time should in all reality create a fine to the point of loss man hours, where his fun has placed people in reality scared and worried for his life.
Yes people tell porkies, which if you feel that is clever Quill, to tell lies, then you lack honesty yourself, because why not be honest in the first place to go out with your friends? If you feel the need to lie, you are in a relationship that is wrong to start with, because no person should feel they need to lie to have to go out, I never have, where I cannot be honest. IF he feels entrapped, then his relationship is fucked up big time, as no relationship should be built on lies

What an arse wipe to do that to anyone that cares for him!
I'd dump his arse for sure.

eddie wrote:What an arse wipe to do that to anyone that cares for him!
I'd dump his arse for sure.

What woman will trust him now Eddie?
His exploits have made sure of that now they have gone national, so he really as fucked himself big time here and is nothing short of what he deserves.

Didge wrote:

eddie wrote:What an arse wipe to do that to anyone that cares for him!
I'd dump his arse for sure.

What woman will trust him now Eddie?
His exploits have made sure of that now they have gone national, so he really as fucked himself big time here and is nothing short of what he deserves.

What a twat.
Makes you wonder why he had to lie anyway? If I wanted to go out I'd just tell my OH I was going out!

eddie wrote:

Didge wrote:


What woman will trust him now Eddie?
His exploits have made sure of that now they have gone national, so he really as fucked himself big time here and is nothing short of what he deserves.

What a twat.
Makes you wonder why he had to lie anyway? If I wanted to go out I'd just tell my OH I was going out!

Exactly, why lie, unless his relationship is built on lies already, where there is no trust there is no relationship.
As I say, his actions will cost him big time now it has gone national, as what women would trust him now?

I wouldn't blame him at all
It is HER fault
what reasonable person would call the cops seriously about someone being kid napped for £50 debt     
No his fault she is stupid....

veya_victaous wrote:I wouldn't blame him at all
It is HER fault
what reasonable person would call the cops seriously about someone being kid napped for £50 debt     
No his fault she is stupid....

Words fail me, you excuse him lying

Lying to his Girlfriend.... which makes all the difference   

Maybe he just wanted to stay out and she's a nagger.. she is obviously a HUGE over-reactor.... and lets face it ever possibility the main reason he is with her is sex.   

what reasonable person would call the cops seriously about someone being kid napped for £50 debt? and What sort of cops would react? Literally Cheaper/Easier to just to pay the £50?

veya_victaous wrote:Lying to his Girlfriend....  which makes all the difference   

Maybe he just wanted to stay out and she's a nagger..  she is obviously a HUGE over-reactor....  and lets face it ever possibility the main reason he is with her is sex.   

what reasonable person would call the cops seriously about someone being kid napped for £50 debt? and What sort of cops would react?  Literally Cheaper/Easier to just to pay the £50?

Again absurd, who need s to lie to people who they they are meant to love?

Think about it, that is not love

so what if it is not love???
who said anything about love???
IT is not a crime to LIE to Chick because you want to stay out.

it's a chick, he is presumably sleeping with, that is obviously an over reacting nagger (based on the calls and need to lie) BUT that doesn't mean he doesn't want to keep sleeping with her, so the action of the majority of men will be to LIE.

It is a bad lie... but still not illegal to Lie to your girlfriend. And it would be a TERRIBLE if ever it were   

veya_victaous wrote:so what if it is not love???
who said anything about love???
IT is not a crime to LIE to Chick because you want to stay out.

it's a chick, he is presumably sleeping with, that is obviously an over reacting nagger (based on the calls and need to lie)  BUT that doesn't mean he doesn't want to keep sleeping with her, so the action of the majority of men will be to LIE.

It is a bad lie... but still not illegal to Lie to your girlfriend. And it would be a TERRIBLE if ever it were   

All bullshit, what is love without trust?

I am not debating that Didge...
I am saying your assumption that he 'loves' her is incorrect.

She may have thought it... but every possibility he was looking for a new love THAT NIGHT     

veya_victaous wrote:I am not debating that Didge...
I am saying your assumption that he 'loves' her is incorrect.

She may have thought it... but every possibility he was looking for a new love THAT NIGHT     

Eh?

You are missing the point. which would be even worse if he did not love her and if that was his case to look for new love that makes him an even bigger dick for not being honest and a complete coward

veya_victaous wrote:so what if it is not love???
who said anything about love???
IT is not a crime to LIE to Chick because you want to stay out.

it's a chick, he is presumably sleeping with, that is obviously an over reacting nagger (based on the calls and need to lie)  BUT that doesn't mean he doesn't want to keep sleeping with her, so the action of the majority of men will be to LIE.

It is a bad lie... but still not illegal to Lie to your girlfriend. And it would be a TERRIBLE if ever it were   

It's not about the legality or the crime, to me, it's about the fact that he's irresponsible and mean.

I still think it is funny. But, I admit he is a bad liar, and the gf is stupid for believing him.

I fault the cops. They're not supposed to be that stupid as to fall for that one.

Don't take this wrong but I think this is predominantly a guy thing.

If my Hubby was out having fun and wanted to stay out I'd think good for you, enjoy I never ring him when he's out, I enjoy my alone time. I'm not sitting there clock watching.  After 21+ years he is starting to getting the hang of doing the same.  I wouldn't lie about it, you are setting yourself up for a lifetime of deceit.

Men like to moan about their wives nagging, shopping habits, dinner's in the dog lol, controlling behaviour, lack of sex  etc when in the pub.  It's a bloke thing, I have no idea why you some of you guys do it

but you all miss the point of what I was saying...

liar he is
idiot he is
bad news for any woman he is
dick he is

BUT there is n o criminality in any of that

also

HE didnt call the cops

so no criminality there

so whatever should be done (two blue bricks??) It should NOT involve the aquisition of a criminal record.

not only does that constitute an abuse of power by the state but more importantly it "trivialises" the concept of having a criminal record.

all of you (in the UK) beware if you are ever a tiny bit naughty and some bellowing asshole of a cop offers you a "caution"...if you accept it you WILL have a criminal record, against which there is no appeal since by accepting the "caution" your have admitted whatever stupid/trumped up offense they choose to tag you with...

tell em to stuff it it and prosecute...at least you will get your chance to explain why you were being a dick...and most likely they wont prosecute, these cautions are reserved for those cases where ordinarily they would have no good proof of cause and hence no case. It looks good on their league tables because it counts as a sucessful prosecution...another way to bend the tstats to amke em look good.

feelthelove wrote:Don't take this wrong but I think this is predominantly a guy thing.

If my Hubby was out having fun and wanted to stay out I'd think good for you, enjoy I never ring him when he's out, I enjoy my alone time. I'm not sitting there clock watching.  After 21+ years he is starting to getting the hang of doing the same.  I wouldn't lie about it, you are setting yourself up for a lifetime of deceit.

Men like to moan about their wives nagging, shopping habits, dinner's in the dog lol, controlling behaviour, lack of sex  etc when in the pub.  It's a bloke thing, I have no idea why you some of you guys do it

Spot on and same here x

My OH knows where I am when I go out with my friends. Vice versa. We don't have to lie to each other if we want to stay out longer. It is called communication and trust xx

David wrote:My OH knows where I am when I go out with my friends. Vice versa.  We don't have to lie to each other if we want to stay out longer. It is called communication and trust xx

Of course David, because we are all adults and in trusting relationships x

eddie wrote:

David wrote:My OH knows where I am when I go out with my friends. Vice versa.  We don't have to lie to each other if we want to stay out longer. It is called communication and trust xx

Of course David, because we are all adults and in trusting relationships x

Exactly. You know me I don't like lies xx

Didge wrote:

veya_victaous wrote:I am not debating that Didge...
I am saying your assumption that he 'loves' her is incorrect.

She may have thought it... but every possibility he was looking for a new love THAT NIGHT     

Eh?

You are missing the point. which would be even worse if he did not love her and if that was his case to look for new love that makes him an even bigger dick for not being honest and a complete coward

BUT none of those things are illegal so no need for charges...
He did not involve the police so how could he waste their time....

Quills right Cops are Paid to know better.

feelthelove wrote:Don't take this wrong but I think this is predominantly a guy thing.

If my Hubby was out having fun and wanted to stay out I'd think good for you, enjoy I never ring him when he's out, I enjoy my alone time. I'm not sitting there clock watching.  After 21+ years he is starting to getting the hang of doing the same.  I wouldn't lie about it, you are setting yourself up for a lifetime of deceit.

Men like to moan about their wives nagging, shopping habits, dinner's in the dog lol, controlling behaviour, lack of sex  etc when in the pub.  It's a bloke thing, I have no idea why you some of you guys do it

it is a some people thing

I have been out with Friends that have had the OH call every 10 minutes to check on them. some chicks be crazy y'all

I personally never have had a girlfriend do that, mainly because the first time she did she would cease to be my girlfriend. .. but some guys will stick with a banshee if means they are sure of root I have friends I no longer see because their OH is too much a banshee to let them out. and even if they just come around they end up spending half or more the time on the phone to their Missus as soon as they get of the phone to her the text messages from her start... so pretty pointless seeing him at all really I don't think he has any male friends left

The plain fact is that the cops were in the wrong to take the story on face value.  There is no legal liability because as veya and vic point out, the guy never called the cops or did anything else wrong.  I might be a little pissed off that my tax dollar was beng wasted by fools.

Some of you say, that's irrelevant, he's a bad person for not having a trusting relationship.  Well maybe so, but that's another matter.  We don't need to involve the cops if that's the complaint.  On the other hand, I've seen my fair share of domestic relations disputes, and if you think bullshitting the little woman is the worst, you outta see the battering cases.  But again, that's another matter, too.

This case sits somewhere in the middle.  He did nothing illegal, on the other hand he's a piss poor husband or OH or whatever he is.  All you can do is sit back and laugh.  It really reminds me of a script for a sitcom...the poor fool keeps digging himself in a deeper and deeper hole.  The final scene should have been the Keystone Kops crashing the party, running around, waving batons, bumping into each other, and falling down...ya know, a 1929 classic.

veya_victaous wrote:

Didge wrote:


Eh?

You are missing the point. which would be even worse if he did not love her and if that was his case to look for new love that makes him an even bigger dick for not being honest and a complete coward

BUT none of those things are illegal    so no need for charges...
He did not involve the police so how could he waste their time....

Quills right Cops are Paid to know better.

It may not be illegal but there is such a thing as wasting Police man hours.
The fact is anyone in this position would have also been fooled, to claim otherwise is both shortsighted and naive and what are the Police supposed to do, not investigate?
Again the Police do not have that luxury and have to take what seems in all intents and purposes as a real kidnapping. To claim they are paid to know better is easy to say in hindsight and not a reality to the situation given at the time, because the facts are she was called and text with demands.
Do not forget she was beside herself with worry and going by recent events in the world with kidnapping, no Police force would take this so lightly.

Original Quill wrote:The plain fact is that the cops were in the wrong to take the story on face value.  There is no legal liability because as veya and vic point out, the guy never called the cops or did anything else wrong.  I might be a little pissed off that my tax dollar was beng wasted by fools.

Some of you say, that's irrelevant, he's a bad person for not having a trusting relationship.  Well maybe so, but that's another matter.  We don't need to involve the cops if that's the complaint.  On the other hand, I've seen my fair share of domestic relations disputes, and if you think bullshitting the little woman is the worst, you outta see the battering cases.  But again, that's another matter, too.

And if turned out to be true and he was kidnapped and the girlfriend said, "Eh, he's probably lying to get another night out with the boys." Would you shrug and say, "Oh well. Guys lie to their girlfriends all the time there's no way she could have known that this time it was for real."

Didge wrote:

veya_victaous wrote:

Didge wrote:


Eh?

You are missing the point. which would be even worse if he did not love her and if that was his case to look for new love that makes him an even bigger dick for not being honest and a complete coward

BUT none of those things are illegal    so no need for charges...
He did not involve the police so how could he waste their time....

Quills right Cops are Paid to know better.

It may not be illegal but there is such a thing as wasting Police man hours.
The fact is anyone in this position would have also been fooled, to claim otherwise is both shortsighted and naive and what are the Police supposed to do, not investigate?
Again the Police do not have that luxury and have to take what seems in all intents and purposes as a real kidnapping. To claim they are paid to know better is easy to say in hindsight and not a reality to the situation given at the time, because the facts are she was called and text with demands.
Do not forget she was beside herself with worry and going by recent events in the world with kidnapping, no Police force would take this so lightly.

for 50 pounds

jaded fox wrote:

Original Quill wrote:The plain fact is that the cops were in the wrong to take the story on face value.  There is no legal liability because as veya and vic point out, the guy never called the cops or did anything else wrong.  I might be a little pissed off that my tax dollar was beng wasted by fools.

Some of you say, that's irrelevant, he's a bad person for not having a trusting relationship.  Well maybe so, but that's another matter.  We don't need to involve the cops if that's the complaint.  On the other hand, I've seen my fair share of domestic relations disputes, and if you think bullshitting the little woman is the worst, you outta see the battering cases.  But again, that's another matter, too.

And if turned out to be true and he was kidnapped and the girlfriend said, "Eh, he's probably lying to get another night out with the boys." Would you shrug and say, "Oh well. Guys lie to their girlfriends all the time there's no way she could have known that this time it was for real."

First, the woman was a gf and had no legal status other than as a casual observer.  In particular, she had no standing to report the man as anything—missing or kidnapped.  She wasn’t a wife.  She wasn’t a parent.  She hadn’t been appointed a legal guardian.  She was, at best, a witness.  The cops should have treated it as any other witness report, and evaluated the likelihood.  

The police have an obligation to measure the credibility and credulity of every witness.  If a guy came in to report a sheep being raped in the middle of Main Street, how should the police react?  Well…I mean, not in Scotland, but in Manchester?

Second, 2,300 persons are reported missing every day in the US.  But only a tiny fraction of those are stereotypical abductions or kidnappings by a stranger.  For every 100,000 missing persons reported, less than 30, 000 are even classified as involuntary…far less as kidnappings.

The first thought of those cops should have been that some drunk was trying to bullshit his gf so he could have another beer with the boys at the pub.  I mean, what are the odds?

Original Quill wrote:

jaded fox wrote:

And if turned out to be true and he was kidnapped and the girlfriend said, "Eh, he's probably lying to get another night out with the boys." Would you shrug and say, "Oh well. Guys lie to their girlfriends all the time there's no way she could have known that this time it was for real."

First, woman was a gf and had no legal status other than as a casual observer.  In particular, she had no standing to report the man as anything—missing or kidnapped.  She wasn’t a wife.  She wasn’t a parent.  She hadn’t been appointed a legal guardian.  She was, at best, a witness.  The cops should have treated it as any other witness report, and evaluated the likelihood.  

The police have an obligation to measure the credibility and credulity of every witness.  If a guy came in to report a sheep being raped in the middle of Main Street, how should the police react?  Well…I mean, not in Scotland, but in Manchester.

Second, 2,300 persons are reported missing every day in the US.  But only a tiny fraction of those are stereotypical abductions or kidnappings by a stranger.  For every 100,000 missing persons reported, less than 30, 000 are even classified as involuntary…far less as kidnappings.

The first thought of those cops should have been that some drunk was trying to bullshit his gf so he could have another beer with the boys at the pub.  I mean, what are the odds?

Seriously Quill, the girl had received text and phone messages and where she was hysterical, the Police have to take this as a possible kidnap, no Police force in the west would discount it and would investigate this, to say the Police have to weigh up what clearly does point to a kidnap, then of course they will investigate. 
You are only thinking in hindsight, without any prior knowledge here, nobody would have thought this was a prank.

No, actually I'm thinking with forethought--at least trying to.  I'm saying consider the circumstances with which they (police) were confronted.  They should have known better.

But, right, in hindsight it turns out I was right.