Published: 20 Aug 09 18:22 CET

A sweatpants-wearing 26-year-old has been charged with theft after knocking a more formally dressed citizen to the ground and removing his jeans.

The trouser abductor struck after a bouncer at a pub in Helsingborg in southern Sweden refused him entry on grounds of being improperly clad.

But the hapless victim was not to be left bare-legged for long, as the bandit made up somewhat for the jeans injustice by removing his sweatpants and throwing them down at the other man's side.

Neither of the men got a chance to try on the other's clothes however; the sight of two half naked men quickly aroused the suspicions of a passing police unit, who wondered what was afoot.

"We've just swapped trousers," the 26-year-old assured the officers.

But both the owner of the jeans and the bouncer told a different story, and the denimjacker was soon back in his sweatpants and placed under arrest.

The 26-year-old has been indicted for theft at Helsingborg District Court.

TT/Paul O'Mahony

http://www.thelocal.se/21592/20090820/