Pole Sitting

The village of Werben doesn't generally attract a lot of tourists, although these days it's getting more visitors than usual. They haven't come to see the old brick church, nor explore the site of an important battle fought in 1631 during the Thirty Years' War.

Rather, they've come to see Fred Gregor, who is now perched on top of a 72-foot pole in order to protest his conviction on fraud charges and the 15-month prison sentence he's scheduled to begin serving on March 1.

"They'll have to come up here and get me," he said, referring to authorities who will likely attempt to enforce his upcoming jail term.

Gregor, a 45-year-old lathe operator, was convicted by a court last May on fraud charges. A man had accused Gregor of selling him a laptop computer online, but all he received in the mail was a box of sand.

The German legal system is not unfamiliar with Gregor. He has a number of previous run ins with the law, including for working off the books, fraud (again), and setting up an Internet site on which his wife stripped.

Gregor said his gripe is that he was treated unfairly by the judge.

"He only based his decision on my past record," he said.

Spousal support

His 25-year-old wife, Suzanne, has told reporters that she's proud of her husband and backs him all the way.

"There's a vendetta out against us," she said, justifying her husband's previous infractions. "Yes, he might have worked off the books, but he had to feed his family. Yes, he might have shown his wife stripping on the Web, but it wasn't any kind of pornography.

"The children will know that their father stood up for what is right," said the mother of five.

While Gregor might not be living in the lap of luxury so far above ground, he does have a mobile telephone, US military surplus provisions and a sleeping bag that will allow him to brave temperatures down to -40 degrees Celsius (-40 degrees Fahrenheit). As for his toilet needs, those are being taken care of through a system of bags and pulleys.

Gregor has until March 1 to come down, according to officials. A special forces team might be called in to remove him forcibly from his airie.

"Let them come," he said. "I haven't done anything."