Prague court imposes exceptional 21-year sentence on 24-year-old sadist
Jiří Junek from Prague received an exceptional sentence of 21 years for the rape of his girlfriend, attempted murder by setting her alight, and animal cruelty. The court also ordered preventive detention.
Prague court: 21 years imprisonment and detention for man who set girlfriend alight
Prague City Court imposed on Friday an exceptional sentence of 21 years imprisonment on 24-year-old Jiří Junek, according to Novinky.cz. The court simultaneously ordered preventive detention and imposed on the defendant an obligation to pay over three million crowns in compensation to the injured parties. The ruling is not final.
Panel chairwoman Pavla Hájková stated that Junek essentially confessed to the majority of the acts. He denied only the legal classification of attempted murder. "He stated that he disagreed with the view that he was aware that he could kill the injured party," the judge explained.
The court nevertheless concluded that attempted murder carried out intentionally and in a torturous manner was entirely evident. "Not only did he fail to help extinguish the fire, but he called the emergency service only after 16 hours, and that out of concern for his own health. He downplayed the injured party's injuries, saying the ambulance did not need to hurry," Hájková stated. The judge also emphasised the extremely long period during which the injured party received no first aid and was exposed to extreme pain.
Petrol, burns and 16 hours without help
According to the file, in 2024 and 2025 Junek psychologically and physically abused his girlfriend in Prague's Řepích district. He beat her daily over trivial matters, shaved her head and struck her with a telescopic baton. The culmination came in April 2025 when he poured petrol on the girl and set her alight. She suffered burns on 16 per cent of her body. She did not reach hospital until the next day — initially, it is said, both agreed not to call an ambulance.
Junek described to the court what led him to the act: "I don't know what happened. I wanted to frighten her terribly, I wanted to force a confession from her. I suspected her of infidelity, I had no direct evidence that she was deceiving me, but I did not believe her."
Animal cruelty and drug given to minor
Junek subjected animals to prolonged abuse. As far back as 2018 he beat a cat to death, for which he was convicted by criminal order in Kladno. After moving into his girlfriend's flat he brutally abused rats — throwing them against walls, disembowelling some and cutting off their limbs. He repeatedly struck one rat against the wall and forced the injured party to euthanise it herself. The woman was unable to do so and the animal died of internal bleeding several hours later.
Junek also gave GHB, known as "liquid ecstasy", to his girlfriend's then 16-year-old sister without her knowledge — he poured it into her juice. He then explained to her what substance she had received, saying he wanted to "educate her about its potential danger."
Out of jealousy he forced his girlfriend to give him access to her telephone and computer and coerced her into sexual intercourse. After their break-up he began threatening to distribute her intimate photographs to her family and acquaintances — and subsequently did so. Previously, Junek had also raped another girlfriend.
Expert witness: fascination with aggression, treatment without result
Expert witnesses in psychology and psychiatry recommended detention for Junek. According to their conclusions, he is fascinated by aggression and mass murderers and takes pleasure in causing suffering to living creatures. He suffers from mixed personality disorder, however, not from any mental illness that would diminish his cognitive or volitional capacities.
The court ordered preventive detention because, according to the expert witnesses, all medical measures in Junek's case have failed and medicine has nothing further to offer for his treatment and reintegration into society. According to the experts, Junek displays antisocial and sadistic tendencies and presents a high risk to society.
Source: Novinky.cz