Three officers found guilty after fire in Geneva asylum home
Published: Tuesday, Jun 4th 2024, 20:20
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In the appeal proceedings in the case of the fire at the Les Tattes asylum center in Vernier in the canton of Geneva almost ten years ago, the former fire safety coordinator has been found guilty in the second instance. In addition, two security officers were sentenced to conditional fines for negligent homicide and assault.
The Criminal Court of Appeal and Revision did not follow the verdict of the first instance, which had acquitted the former fire safety coordinator. Like the two security officers, the officer was sentenced to a suspended fine for involuntary manslaughter and assault.
The court also confirmed the sentence of an Algerian to 15 months' probation, as he had caused the fire through his negligence. The fire had been started in this resident's room by a hob or by cigarette butts in a garbage can that had not been properly extinguished.
The fire occurred one night in November 2014. One resident of the home suffocated. Other residents jumped out of the windows in panic and sustained injuries.
In the opinion of the Court of Appeal, the former fire safety coordinator had not adequately informed the residents about what they should do in the event of a fire breaking out. Providing such information would not have taken much time.
According to the judges, the fire would not have caused one death and 40 injuries if residents had learned to avoid smoky stairs or not to jump out of the window. "In this way, panic could have been prevented," the judges stated.
As for compensation for the non-material damage suffered by the residents and their families affected by the tragedy, the court instructed the plaintiffs to turn to the state.
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