In November last year, a comprehensive rescue operation was launched after several distress flares were observed in Ulstein municipality in Sunnmøre. The operation involved a rescue helicopter, police, a fast ferry, a rescue boat, fire department, air ambulance, and civilian boats. The search lasted over an hour. Four men in their 20s and 30s eventually turned themselves in to the police, and they have been convicted in Sunnmøre District Court for violating the Penal Code §187, which concerns false alarms.
The four men admitted guilt when they appeared in court recently. All four are sentenced to pay fines of 5,000 kroner each, and they must also pay nearly 76,000 kroner in compensation to the Main Rescue Center in Southern Norway. Three of the men were sentenced to 21 days in prison, while the fourth was sentenced to 18 days in prison, with the prison sentences coming with a probation period of two years. One of the men received a few days of sentence reduction because he was the one who called the police and got the alarm called off.
The men have explained that they were on a drive that evening and were bored. One of them had two distress flares lying in the car, and they wanted to shoot them off. To avoid others seeing the flares, they drove to what they thought was a deserted place, Flø in Ulstein municipality, and fired the first distress flare from there. They then drove to Garnes where the second distress flare was used, and they have explained that they fired the distress flares in the direction of the sea, and it did not take long before the flares ended up in the sea.
None of the men have admitted to firing the first flare, but based on their explanations, the court believes it has been proven which of the men did it. Two of the convicted are from Møre and Romsdal, while the other two are from other counties.
During sentencing, the court emphasized the consequences of the four firing the two distress flares. In court, the Main Rescue Center explained that it was uncertain how long the operation would have lasted if they had not received a message that it was a false alarm, but it could have lasted all night. A further consequence was that any other and later assignments could not be prioritized because all resources were out, and there are rules for crew rest time. The court also emphasized that distress flares were fired from two different locations, which complicated the rescue authorities' work because searches had to be conducted in two areas.
NRK has so far been in contact with two of the defense lawyers for the convicted men.