2024-01-16 17:41:18
The court found it proven that the two had jointly planned to set fire to their struggling clothing store in order to collect the insurance money.
20 liters of petrol and diesel spilled
During the trial, the son admitted to distributing around 20 liters of petrol and diesel in the shop on March 30 last year and then setting several textiles on fire. His father had always denied having anything to do with the fire. But the court didn’t believe him. The defendant had previously tried to defraud insurance companies. In one case, for example, he set his car on fire to collect the insurance money. A witness also saw him bringing containers into the store on the day the explosion occurred. The court was convinced that these containers contained gasoline and diesel that were used in the arson.
Indifference to the lives of residents
The court confirmed that the two defendants were completely indifferent to the “risk to life and limb of the people in the house”. This also played a role in the imposition of the life sentences.
Numerous injured
The explosion of the building could be heard throughout Eschweiler city center. 15 people were injured, four of them critically. Many had to be treated in hospital for months, including a baby. The house in which the shop was located was largely destroyed. But the buildings and cars that were parked in the area were also significantly damaged by the violent explosion. The material damage amounted to around 2.3 million euros.
In his verdict, the judge noted that the two defendants had destroyed the lives of two families through their actions.
Long prison sentences required
In their plea, the public prosecutor spoke of the inhumane attitudes of the two defendants. It didn’t matter to them how many people died or were seriously injured in the explosion.
The house was largely destroyed in the explosion Image source: WDR
She had therefore called for a life sentence for both defendants.
The defense wanted a much more lenient sentence
The defense was very far from the prosecution’s view. According to his lawyers, the 22-year-old defendant was unable to realize that the accelerant he had spread around the house could cause such a devastating explosion. They therefore demanded a prison sentence of three years and six months for their client.
His defense attorney has called for an acquittal for the 56-year-old father. According to his reasoning, the trial did not provide any evidence that his client was even involved in the crime.
House destroyed – several injured | sv. 00:28 min. Available until March 31, 2024.
WDR will also report on this topic on local television on January 16, 2023 Aachen and on the radio on WDR 2.
Our sources:
1705429986
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