Trial in Linz

Mühlviertler extinguished fire set by brother

The accused was put on trial at the Linz Regional Court

(Bild: Andrea Kloimstein, Krone KREATIV)

Drunk as a skunk, a 28-year-old set a car tire on fire in Walding in May 2024. It is thanks to the accused's brother that the flames did not spread to the entire vehicle and building. He came home a short time later and extinguished the fire. That's when the 28-year-old went berserk.

In the late evening of May 20, 2024, the unemployed man (28) was in his apartment on his grandfather's farm and consumed a lot of alcohol. With a blood alcohol level of 2.44, he sneaked into the former pigsty at around 11 pm and took a tuft of straw. He deposited it on a rear tire of a car - belonging to his brother's girlfriend - and set it on fire.

Brother extinguished
The fact that the flames did not spread to the entire car and the building is more down to chance than anything else. The brother arrived at the scene of the fire a short time later, noticed the flames, informed the emergency services and began extinguishing the fire.

"Fucked up"
The 28-year-old must not have liked this, because he went berserk and smashed a window pane with his hand. "Do you like fire?" the judge wants to know from the defendant at the trial at Linz Regional Court. "Not really", he replies and talks about having "fucked up". In court, the 28-year-old confessed and was remorseful, asserting that he had been "sober" since then and was trying to find a job.

Limited sanity
In the meantime, he has also made amends for the damage caused to his car. This, his confession and the limited sanity confirmed by an expert due to his alcoholization were taken into account in the sentencing.

Previous convictions
However, this was aggravated by a relevant previous conviction for damage to property. The penalty range for the attempted arson for which he was charged is one to ten years' imprisonment. The judge's final sentence: 15 months' conditional imprisonment with a probationary period of three years and an unconditional fine of 180 daily rates.

"Advice" from the judge
"If you do something stupid again, you must expect to be remanded in custody immediately," the judge warned, adding: "If there is a fire somewhere in your vicinity in the near future, you must have a good explanation as to where you were."