A 35-year-old Australian who wanted to spend the New Year with his lover faked his own kidnapping by sending a ransom note to his wife.
But Paul Iera didn’t manage to live out his infidelity because the Pot aux Roses were eventually discovered by police, CNN reported Thursday.
The 30-year-old from the coastal village of Dapto appeared in a New South Wales court on Tuesday to explain his deception.
After receiving the ransom note, his wife contacted the police, who mobilized their troops for a search operation in addition to the investigation that lasted over 200 hours.
The adulterous husband was found the next morning and arrested in his vehicle at a police checkpoint before confessing.
During his trial, the 35-year-old admitted that he had imagined the scenario of spending New Year’s Eve in the arms of his lover and away from his wife.
A trader by trade, the fickle husband found that his little one-night getaway cost him dearly as he had to pay back the equivalent of $14,000 to the local government.