German claims for fraud over 40 cent loss

BERLIN (Reuters) - A man who paid 40 euro cents (27 pence) more than he expected for a call to a German television quiz show has filed fraud charges, police said on Monday.

Having devised a formula to answer the question "How much milk do 10 oxen produce in 10 minutes if five oxen produce five litres in five minutes?", the man went to a pay phone and made what he thought would be a 50-cent call.

However, he was angered when the cost came to 90 cents, and even more incensed because the phone-in show said the question was actually a riddle with no answer.

"Don't forget that an ox is a castrated bull," said a spokesman for police in the western city of Muenster.

The man did not see the funny side, and went to a police station at 3 a.m. to file charges. Police and state prosecutors are now investigating whether he has a case.