A young man has been convicted and sentenced to “protective supervision” after setting several fires that led to the destruction or damage of 21 vehicles.
The incidents of arson took place on the night of February 11th earlier this year in the city of Gävle and saw the teen set fires in six different areas across the city. The teen was arrested a short time after the arson attacks but initially denied any involvement with them.
A Swedish court found that the 18-year-old was the only person behind the fires after examining both testimony and forensic evidence that was gathered at the various crime scenes, Swedish broadcaster SVT reports.
Due to the fact that the perpetrator was 17 at the time of his crimes, he received a far lesser punishment than the already short one-year sentence recommended for adult offenders.
Indeed, the court gave a sentence less than the recommended four-month term for juvenile convicts and gave him protective supervision, with certain regulations regarding drug-withdrawal treatment.
The young man will also be asked to pay damages in the amount of 400,000 Swedish Krona (£34,755/$42,851) to the victims of the attacks, with the court ruling that his parents will also have to pay a small part of the damages.
Car fires have become a problem in many of Sweden’s so-called “vulnerable areas,” often referred to as no-go zones.
In the summer of 2018, a gang of masked youths set around a hundred cars on fire in the city of Gothenburg and even attracted the attention of Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, who had harsh words for the rioters.
“I’m getting pissed off – really! My question to these people is what the hell are you doing?” he demanded.
A 19-year-old man was later arrested in connection with the fires, not in Sweden but in Turkey, with Swedish police arresting another two men aged 19 and 20.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.