Trotting trainer Benny Christensen, 60, experienced moments of horror just over a week ago a few hundred meters from his home.
A half-naked man threatened Benny Christensen with a machete. PDO
Benny Christensen was a little over a week ago on Thursday afternoon on his way home when he noticed a vague man loitering on the road.
– I was only a few hundred meters away from my homestead when he walked along the dirt road. He had no shirt on and was dragging a tire behind him, Christensen says.
The trotting coach got out of his car and looked at what the hell was going on in front of him. Then the man tore off his clothes and pulled out a large machete.
– It was completely surreal, just like in a movie, Christensen recalls.
He ran back to his car, passed the man and blocked the road so he couldn’t get to Christensen’s farm, where staff were working with the horses.
After this, the man’s journey became even more special.
– He started waving his pants in the air and making snow angels.
The story continues after the picture.
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Scary eyes
Christensen called the police, but because the farm was remote and difficult to find, it took the authorities a long time to arrive.
So Christensen stayed in his car. He observed the man’s actions and considered his options. The farm had to be protected, because in addition to the staff and horses, Christensen’s wife was also there Elaine and the couple’s dog.
– I was afraid for my life, but I didn’t want to hurt him. I still thought about reversing on him, but then he moved. I just wanted to protect my family because this guy was clearly not healthy, Christensen justifies his decision.
Finally, Christensen went to his house. The intruder tried to follow. Christensen grabbed a large, iron shoehorn and shouted to his wife and other workers on the farm to take cover. The man’s expression was terrifying.
– He had nightmarish eyes. I felt there was no other option but to fight hard. I refused to back down. I wanted to protect my wife, my staff and my horses, Christensen says.
The man apparently understood that Christensen was serious and decided to back off a little.
Finally, 15–20 minutes later, police cars pulled into the farm yard. The authorities caught the unknown intruder in the forest, and no one was injured.
“We hardly slept”
Christensen and his wife were shocked by what happened for a long time.
– We could hardly sleep at night. It’s quite clear that what happened left its mark on us, Christensen thinks.
At first, the couple was also afraid that the man would come back.
According to the police, the intruder was mentally ill, and it was never clear how he had ended up at Christensen’s farm, which was in the middle of nowhere.
– Arlanda airport is a short distance from here. Maybe he came through the forest, but it’s a long way to walk along small paths, Christensen reflected.
He would never have believed that something like this could happen in the countryside.
– You can read about explosions, shootings and attacks on people almost every day in Sweden, but they used to seem so far away. But now it’s a reality here in the countryside as well, Christensen laments.
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Sources: Aftonbladet, Expressen