Seeing multiple people never turns out as expected. An Australian man attempting to do double duty was caught by police faking his own abduction and kidnapping in order to spend New Year’s Eve with his lover instead of his girlfriend.
Paul Iera left his house shortly before midnight on December 31, 2022, telling his girlfriend he was leaving to meet his “financial guy” in the nearby area of Dapto. A little while later, his girlfriend received a text allegedly from a sex worker claiming to have kidnapped Iera.
The 35-year-old is believed to have a history with the sex worker, who later text his girlfriend a few times in order to explain the “kidnapping” taking place. Iera’s partner called the New South Wales Police to report the kidnapping, thinking it had to do with his $4,750 dirt bike.
Instantly, the police launched an investigation into his whereabouts, searching through hours of CCTV and interviewing witnesses. During the CCTV investigations, Iera was allegedly captured on camera entering the home of his lover with an overnight bag, which was pinpointed the around the time his girlfriend received the texts.
After finding several holes in his story, including discovering calls Iera made came from Dapto and not Wollongong where he claimed to be, police determined the story was made up. In a statement after Iera’s court appearance, NSW Police said: “It was established the man allegedly made up the story about his own kidnapping.”
Authorities claim that an investigation into Iera’s alleged kidnapping and abduction cost them and the state’s government more than $17,000, as well as wasting between 100 and 200 hours of police working time.
Iera was charged with making false accusations with intent as well as the false representation that resulted in a police investigation.