A Braga court has sentenced a man to seven and a half years in prison for setting eight fires in Vila Verde in 2022 that consumed at least 240 hectares of eucalyptus, seaside pine, oak and shrub forests.
By a decision of July 10, to which Lusa had access, this Wednesday the court emphasizes that the Ministry of National Defense – Air Force spent more than 70,500 euros to fight the fires caused by the defendant.
In turn, the National Office for Emergency Situations and Civil Protection spent 46,714 euros.
The 36-year-old defendant was convicted of eight wildfire-related crimes.
The facts refer to August 23 and 31 and September 2, 2022, days when, according to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere, the risk of fire in the countryside in Vila Verde was “very high” and “high”. , taking into account temperature (above 30º Celsius), relative humidity, wind and lack of precipitation.
“In all cases, the defendant knew the characteristics of the places where he kindled the various fires described, knowing that they were characterized by the fact that they were areas consisting of bushes and trees that did not belong to him, very close to residential buildings and crowded places. large crowds and light fires, given the weather conditions (high temperatures) that were felt, contributed to the spread of fires, especially in the summer season in which it was,” the resolution says.
In all cases, the defendant drove up to the sites he intended to set fire to, set fire to the cloth, and threw it into the woods, further endangering the homes on which the sites were located and the extensive Bush area.
According to the court, the defendant, who has been receiving a disability pension since January 2022, “does not show signs indicating psychopathology, although he has some dysfunctional personality traits.”
He exhibits “symptoms of depression and anxiety” and “demonstrates awareness of social norms and rules and the risks of not following them”.
“The motives for this kind of crime are numerous and often useless, associated with the expression of anger, the desire for revenge, poor management of emotions and frustration, and those who set fire are more likely to commit others, so that when they go free, control must be very effective,” the verdict says.
After the arrest, the defendant agreed to restore the facts, indicating all the places where he set fires.
To the detriment of the defendant, the court took into account the high severity of the fault, the high degree of wrongfulness and the mode of action, “with a large dispersion of fires, using dry terrain and days of high temperature and low humidity.” in the region of Braga, all the conditions conducive to the outbreak of large fires.
Also taken into account were the consequences of fires, the lack of self-criticism on the part of the defendant in relation to the facts under consideration, and risk factors associated with the personal characteristics of the defendant.
The Court also emphasized the “immense” demands of general prevention, related to the importance for the national economy and for the rural communities themselves of the elimination of forest fires, “usually claiming human lives and vast areas of forest, and efforts made year after year. years by public authorities to mitigate this risk, either proactively or in response.”
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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