Did the 16-year-old defendant set the paper container on fire or not? A jury trial at the Feldkirch regional court is currently dealing with this question.
Fire alarm on the evening of April 3rd in Bregenz’s Schulgasse: a 1,100-liter garbage container was completely on fire in a house entrance. Thanks to a courageous passer-by who fought the flames with a fire extinguisher, they did not spread to the house. A surveillance camera sequence showed three young people running away shortly after the first flare-up. Who is to blame? The 16-year-old Brazilian is one of them. He has lived in Vorarlberg for six years and is now standing trial as a defendant. In addition to bodily harm and damage to property, the teenager is accused of the crime of attempted arson. The young man admits that he set fire to several containers in the lowlands. The motive: “My client’s mental illness and his difficult childhood,” said the 16-year-old’s lawyer. As far as the incident in Bregenz is concerned, the young man denies any guilt. “That was my buddy,” the little fruit claimed in front of the jury. That evening they were initially at the youth club. On the way to the pipeline, the three young people passed the school alley. “My colleague first looked at the waste paper container and then at me. He then lit an empty cigarette packet with a lighter and threw it into the container. I told him: Don’t do it!” The opposite is the version of the colleague, who puts the blame on the 16-year-old. The presiding judge Martin Mitteregger believes the defendant’s claim, but suspects that he was a contributory offender. “The question is whether you supported the other person psychologically with your presence in the crime.” The trial will continue on December 14th.
source site-12