Most of us, if we think about it, have at least a couple of colorful life stories whose details we love retelling to friends, relatives, our children and, eventually, our grandchildren. Such stories can be funny, a little sad, sometimes instructive — but the main thing, in our view, is that they all have a happy ending. Some of the most interesting of these stories involve vivid romantic experiences and whirlwind love affairs. It’s no secret that love can be found anywhere, under the most unexpected circumstances. These days, though, people increasingly meet each other online. The internet indeed offers people countless opportunities for self-development, learning, entertainment — and a chance to find love. Online dating is arguably the most accessible and simplest way to find a kindred spirit, which is especially relevant for city dwellers who usually have little free time. That is precisely why dating sites and apps keep multiplying and thriving. Opinions differ on this way of searching for a life partner: some consider it a waste of time, others say it’s exactly where they found the love of their life.
Everyone is probably familiar with how dating sites work: you create an account, fill out a profile, post your photos, browse other members’ profiles, send messages, and respond to invitations to meet. Opinions are divided on how honest and open people actually are online. On the one hand, it’s easy to construct a persona in a virtual space; on the other, the internet also lets people simply be themselves, since real life comes with plenty of norms, taboos and expectations that the internet seems to erase. Some people use social media precisely as a place to be themselves, if that’s difficult for them in real life. Meeting people from other countries also remains popular — it lets someone “on the hunt” kill two birds with one stone: find a friend or partner, and at least visit, or even move to, the country of their dreams. Everything to do with personal relationships tends to unfold unpredictably and very individually — the main thing is that such adventurous episodes don’t end badly. In this article, we’d like to share one story that could be summed up as “it would all be very funny if it weren’t so sad.”
Client Story: An Online Meeting and a Romantic Weekend
A middle-aged man came to us — let’s call him Sergey — who lived permanently in Ukraine and, at the time, very much wanted to find out how his romantic weekend in Germany had ended for him from a legal standpoint. It all started when he met a woman online — let’s call her Irina. Sergey had divorced his wife about a year earlier; his children were already grown, and, unburdened by family obligations, he had plenty of free time in the evenings and on weekends. He was an active user of dating sites. Starting a family or finding a steady partner wasn’t on his agenda at the time, but Sergey happily flirted online, went on dates, some of which turned into brief romances. The range of women looking for casual, no-strings-attached relationships was fairly broad, and Sergey never lacked for female attention — one colorful adventure followed another. But what happened to our client about a month before he came to us was different from all his previous flings: he met a woman who permanently resided in Germany. What’s more, after just a week of daily “hot” messaging, she invited him to visit her for the weekend.
Sergey lived by the principle that it’s “better to do something and regret it than to regret not doing it.” So that’s exactly what he did this time — he packed a few things in a backpack, grabbed his biometric passport (Ukrainian citizens enjoy visa-free travel to the EU), and the following Friday set off in search of adventure on German soil. It seemed the weekend was set to be a great success, and nothing hinted at trouble ahead. Irina met Sergey at Frankfurt am Main airport, put him in her car, and drove him home. Sergey has trouble recalling exactly where and how long they drove — partly because the journey involved “sampling” various local beers, and partly because of the pleasant conversation with his new acquaintance, who had thoroughly charmed our hero. Friday evening and night went more than well, but unfortunately, luck deserted our client precisely when he least expected it…
A Forgotten Purchase at the Supermarket and a Call to the Police
The next day, after their passionate meeting, Sergey went to a shop to buy some personal hygiene items. He walked into a large supermarket and picked out some toothpaste, a toothbrush, and a men’s deodorant. After wandering for a while through the seemingly endless, richly stocked aisles of the supermarket, he was about to head to the checkout to pay for his purchases when, having gotten a little lost, he simply and accidentally walked out of the shop. He was about to go back in to pay for his modest purchases, but by then a security guard had already spotted him and, without giving it much thought, called the police — with all the consequences that entailed. The officers, as is standard procedure in such cases, drew up a report of the offense, recorded the offender’s passport and contact details — despite the fact that he was barely able to say a word in German — and let him go.
All good things come to an end quickly — the romantic weekend for two was drawing to its logical close. Irina drove her friend to the airport and, with a light heart, continued her search in the boundless expanse of the internet. Sergey, too, made it safely back to Ukraine — but that shop incident kept nagging at him, gnawing at his soul and conscience. He came to our law firm asking us to help him understand the situation, tell him what consequences this story might have for him, and, if necessary, represent his interests in defending him against the criminal case before the German police and public prosecutor’s office.
The Lawyer’s Work: Searching an Unknown Town Across All of Germany
Our firm’s lawyer, who specializes in criminal law matters, took up the case immediately. He explained to the client that he could face criminal proceedings under §242 of the German Criminal Code (German: Strafgesetzbuch, StGB) — namely, shoplifting (German: Ladendiebstahl). This meant first reviewing the charges brought against our client, and then trying to have the case discontinued by presenting the appropriate arguments to the public prosecutor’s office. The lawyer asked Sergey exactly where the incident had taken place, since our client had been given nothing at the time the offense was recorded. As comical as it may sound, Sergey could not give any coherent answer to what seemed like a simple question. He knew for certain that he had flown into Germany and flown home from Frankfurt am Main airport, where Irina had picked him up and later dropped him off. But he could not say exactly where she had driven him in her car — he only knew it was a small town somewhere in the surrounding area. The lawyer representing Sergey contacted his acquaintance and tried to find out where the unpleasant incident had taken place. Unfortunately, Irina reacted very sharply, stating that she neither could nor would explain anything further, and that if Sergey or his lawyer contacted her again with any requests, she would report it to the police.
The lawyer prepared and sent inquiries to various law enforcement authorities both in Frankfurt am Main itself and in the surrounding area. For a long time, the responses we received all stated that no violations had been recorded against our client and no case had been opened against him — until, finally, a response arrived from the public prosecutor’s office of a town located about 20 km from Frankfurt am Main. As it turned out, a criminal case had indeed been opened against our client, who was accused of stealing goods worth a small sum — exactly €3.50.
Outcome: Case Closed Due to Minor Significance
The lawyer prepared and submitted a detailed petition to the public prosecutor’s office, setting out the circumstances of the incident and requesting that the case be discontinued under §153 of the German Code of Criminal Procedure (German: Strafprozessordnung, abbreviated StPO) due to the minor significance of the act. The arguments in the petition were accepted as convincing and sufficient. To the client’s great relief, the case was closed and had no further negative consequences.
Conclusion
This story reflects the well-known truth that “all’s well that ends well.” We wish Sergey, as well as our readers, to keep enjoying life and getting the best out of it. That said, however romantic and carefree brief or lasting relationships may be, we recommend not “losing your head,” so as to avoid finding yourself in situations that are just as absurd as they are potentially fraught with serious consequences.
All rights reserved. Copying or republishing this article requires a link to the original source.
