Love, lies, and fake kidnapping: Australian Romeo's lie to girlfriend lands him in hot water with police

Picture this: it's New Year's Eve, a night ofcelebration, and fireworks. You're waiting for your boyfriend, and you receive a message saying he's been kidnapped. What would you do? Call the police, of course.

This is exactly what happened in the land Down Under, where a woman reported that her partner, 35-year-old tradesman named Paul Iera, has been kidnapped by a group of Middle Eastern kidnappers.

However, in the end this turned out to be a ploy by the Aussie Romeo to spend time with his mistress, and now the Casanova has to pay for sending police on a wild goose chase.

Big plans

On New Year's Eve 2022, Paul Iera had big plans for the night, and they didn't involve watching fireworks with his partner.

Instead, this Aussie Casanova had a date with his mistress, and he was willing to go to great lengths to make it happen. To escape spending time with his girlfriend, Iera came up with an ingenious plan of faking his own kidnapping.

It was a foolproof plan, or so he thought.

Spinning a web of lies, he told his partner he was meeting with his "financial guy," reports CNN affiliate 9 News.

A plausible excuse, right? But even the best-laid plans can go awry, especially when your partner starts asking questions. In a desperate bid to buy time, Paul and his mistress concocted a text message that would set off a chain of events that would rival any Hollywood thriller.

The message read: "Thank you for sending Paul to me, now payback is a ***** bye bye. We will keep him with us until the morning wen (sic) he gives us his bike we call it square."

Police get involved

Understandably worried, Paul's partner reported it to the police, just minutes before the stroke of midnight.

And with that, the stage was set for an unforgettable New Year's Eve.

Springing into action, police launched a full-scale investigation into the "kidnapping".

Meanwhile, Paul and his mistress were cruising through the night, unaware of the storm brewing back home. In the morning, the pair had their escape intercepted by the police. They were pulled over by authorities, who expected to find kidnappers in Iera's van, but only found him and his mistress.

Yet, even in the face of mounting evidence, Paul clung to his story, insisting that he had been abducted by a mysterious group of Middle Eastern men who had now conveniently released him. He then led the police on a wild goose chase of around 200 hours.

Fast-forward 12 days. The truth surfaces and the cheating Romeo gets arrested and charged with making a false accusation with the intent to subject another person to investigation.

"You chose to send alarming, frightening messages to your partner so you could get some extra time with another partner," said Magistrate Michael Ong to him, as reported by 9 News.

He has now been ordered to pay the state government approximately $10,000 for the 200 hours of police work. Justice comes with a hefty price tag, he has learned.

(With inputs from agencies)

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