Charge: 15 years for alleged Solothurn arsonist
Published: Monday, Sep 16th 2024, 16:00
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In the trial for the series of fires in Solothurn Wasseramt in 2022, the public prosecutor has demanded a prison sentence of 15 years for the 35-year-old defendant. According to the prosecutor, the overall picture of the evidence is correct. Possible motive was therefore the love rejected by another firefighter.
The sources of the fires were "extremely similar", said the public prosecutor in his plea on Monday. Specifically, the Swiss man should be found guilty of multiple counts of arson, multiple counts of trespassing and multiple counts of cruelty to animals, the prosecutor demanded.
Ten sheep were killed in a fire. The former firefighter is charged with a total of twelve arsons. There were no injuries. According to the public prosecutor's office, however, people's lives were endangered.
Accusation: In love with firefighter
According to the public prosecutor, an emotional crisis of the 35-year-old apparently led to the series of fires. He is said to have fallen in love with a man from his fire department and harassed him. However, this "Mister X" rejected him unequivocally. The accused did not want to talk to the public prosecutor about this.
The public had a different image of the man, the public prosecutor explained. He had been extremely popular and respected. Many had believed that the wrong person had been arrested. Since the man's arrest in May 2022, there had been no more comparable cases.
Ignition wool purchased
There was "overwhelming, crystal-clear evidence" that the accused had carried out the arsons. This included various DNA traces and cell phone data on his locations at the time of the fires. On a Sunday after the arsons, the first thing he did after sleeping in was to buy a new pack of kindling.
There was a video of an e-biker riding past a fire in May, the prosecutor noted. The man on the bike was wearing the jacket later found on the defendant, on which there were traces. According to the prosecution, investigations revealed that he had searched for possible objects on Googlemaps shortly before the fires that night.
Defense wants acquittal
A forensic psychiatric expert ruled out a personality disorder in the accused and very probably a pyromania (pathological urge to set fires). At the time of the crimes, however, the man had been consuming alcohol to a harmful degree.
The defendant's lawyer is demanding an acquittal of the charges. The district court, which is sitting in a three-judge panel, is expected to open the verdict on Friday.
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