Man who faked death turns up after two years

A Swedish man who was assumed dead after disappearing off the Norwegian coast two years ago stunned authorities this week when he showed up at a routine traffic stop in Sweden.

Magnus Palm, 27, told Swedish media he faked his own death in 2003 by renting a fishing boat in Norway and then pushing the boat out to sea from a strip of land to make it look like he had drowned.

The boat was never recovered and Palm was listed as missing until he was stopped by traffic police in southern Sweden on Tuesday.

“I wanted to get away from my old life and start a new life,” Palm told newspaper Sydostran, a local daily in Karlshamn, where he is now staying with his family.

As Norwegian authorities launched a search-and-rescue effort to locate him, Palm headed south through Europe in search of his new life, he said.

“Things went well in the beginning,” he was quoted as saying in an article published today.

“I travelled around in southern Europe, laid on the beach and enjoyed myself, had different odd jobs and took it easy.”

He left his bank accounts untouched and did not contact anyone to say he was alive – until this spring when he started longing for his family.

“I contacted my family and told them where I was,” he said. “They said they missed me and convinced me to come home.”

When interviewed by police, Palm cited only “strong personal reasons” for faking his death, police spokesman Steinert Ingemarsson said.

“I have never heard anything like this before, that someone stages his own supposed death,” Ingemarsson said.

It was unclear why Palm had not informed authorities that he was alive after returning to his family, Ingemarsson said.

Palm is not suspected of a crime in Sweden, but may have broken Norwegian laws, Ingemarsson said.

Norwegian news agency NTB reported that the owner of the boat Palm rented has filed theft charges against him.

Palm said that, in hindsight, he regretted his stunt.

“I caused some problems for a lot of people, including myself,” he was quoted as saying by Sydostran.

“But at the same time I have had a lot of experiences and learned a lot. I have realised what I mean to the people closest to me.”