Driver in court - after hunting reindeer by truck

It was two and a half years ago that a man posted a video in an open group for truck drivers.

The video shows a group of reindeer running at high speed in front of a honking truck while you hear the driver say:

The man denies animal cruelty

After the incident, the man was charged with animal cruelty or a violation of the Reindeer Husbandry Act.

In court, the man denied the crime, but admits that he is the one who drove the truck and filmed the reindeer.

He explained that the whole thing was a bad joke, that he just wanted to get by and not expose any animal to suffering.

- It is one of the dumbest things I have done, the suspect said in court.

Assistant prosecutor Madeleine Nordvall demanded a suspended sentence and a daily fine as punishment for the man.

"An acute stress experience"

Part of the evidence is a statement from Per Jensen, professor of ethology at Linköping University, who claims that the reindeer were exposed to stress:

"In summary, I assess that the reindeer were exposed to an acute stress experience combined with fear and suffering during the half-minute hunt and that a residual effect of a gradually milder nature probably lasted for up to half an hour

," he writes.

The police have also tested the route several times and come to the conclusion that the average speed was 36 kilometers per hour and that the distance was 240 meters in the video.

The verdict comes on June 1.

Hear the assistant prosecutor about the claim and lawyer Karoliina Ikonen Simu about her client's attitude in the video above.