Man in Pelhřimov region deliberately started fires, allegedly seeking to escape stress
A 26-year-old offender is believed to be responsible for a series of forest fires in the region. Police charged him, the man confessed and explained his actions as an attempt to escape from everyday problems.
Man in Pelhřimov region deliberately started fires, allegedly seeking to escape stress
Detectives in Pelhřimov charged a young man this week who allegedly systematically set fire to vegetation in the surrounding area. The 26-year-old suspect faces charges of intentional destruction of another person's property by fire.
Investigators attribute a extensive series of forest and grass fires in the region to him. The most recent such incident allegedly occurred on 11 June in the evening, when he cycled to a hay barn in Horní Ves. There he allegedly used an ordinary lighter to set fire to the wooden structure. The flames completely destroyed the barn and approximately forty bales of hay inside. Several dozen firefighters had to be dispatched to the scene.
Police officers gradually connected the individual cases and tracked down the offender. Once they had gathered sufficient evidence, they initiated criminal proceedings against him.
"The charge concerns the criminal offence of damage to another person's property," said Pavel Nováček, head of the Pelhřimov criminal investigation department. He noted that the individual in question has no previous criminal convictions.
The suspect confessed to the acts. Police spokesperson Michaela Lébrová outlined his motive: "He explained it by saying that he was experiencing severe stress. By starting fires he was allegedly escaping from everyday worries."
The accused remains free. He faces a sentence of up to one year's imprisonment.
Source: Novinky.cz
Source: Novinky.cz