In an unusual judicial move, a Portuguese court has sentenced an arsonist to jail.The convicted man, by his own admission, drunk two litres of red wine and then wandered off to set light to the countryside on the worst day of fires the country has even seen. He received a two year, six month sentence which was not suspended.
The fire he set in Oliveira de Azeméis, to the south of Porto, on October 15, 2017, quickly spread through the forest, consuming an area of 16 hectares of bush, pine and eucalyptus.
The only reason the flames did not reach a chapel and properties was due to the prompt and effective action of the firemen.
During the reading of the judgment, the presiding judge said that the facts put by the prosecution all had been proved.
During the reading of the judgment, the presiding judge said that the facts put by the prosecution all had been proved.
"There is no doubt that you did the things of which you are accused," said the judge, adding that the defendant had confessed to the crime and had even helped in a reconstruction that, "clearly indicated how he acted."
The judge said that the defendant did not offer any reason as to his behaviour, "He said it just got into his head, but we suspect it was because nobody wanted to play cards with him or give him a glass of wine."
The court heard how the accused, "has a personality that fits the typical Portuguese arsonist, with low self-esteem, social isolation and alcoholism.”
Although the defendant did not have a previous criminal record, the court decided not to suspend the sentence, due the serious nature of the crime.
According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the defendant set fire to four different points in a forest near the São Marcos chapel in Fajões, Oliveira de Azeméis. When he tried to set light to a fifth area, next to some houses, he was surprised by a resident and fled but he was intercepted by several popular who kept him until the GNR arrived.
October 15th, 2017, was considered the worst day of the year in terms of forest fires, with almost 500 incidents recorded, firefighting crews stretched to the limit and the body count rising.
