A strange trial at the Linz regional court ended on Tuesday with a final acquittal. A 40-year-old man was charged. He was accused of setting a neighbor’s car on fire after an argument.
The incident happened more than four years ago: On the evening of March 25, 2020, a box truck burst into flames in front of an apartment building on Karl-Steiger-Straße in the Kleinmünchen-Auwiesen district. Amount of damage: between 30,000 and 40,000 euros.
The Citroën Jumper belonged to a now 69-year-old. A witness reported that while she was walking her dog, she saw a man throw a burning object into the car. During the course of the investigation, the Citroën owner’s neighbor, now 40, came into the investigators’ sights. He is said to have first broken the rear window and then set fire. The flames spread so quickly that the fire department had to arrive – but the car could no longer be saved.
The reason that the case was only heard now is that the report was only filed in September 2022. Years later, while drunk, the 40-year-old bragged about setting his neighbor’s car on fire, it was reported to the police.
Dispute over rental parking space
The suspicion that the man could have caused the arson grew stronger. The background was a dispute over the car owner’s rental parking space. The defendant is said to have parked his car there without permission. After an infringement complaint, the 40-year-old had to pay a fine of 180 euros. This was cited as a motive in court.
The penalty for this crime ranges from one to ten years in prison. The defendant, who had already been sentenced to a conditional four-month prison sentence in 2022 for dangerous threats, denied the accusation of arson from the start. The jury decided in his favor on Tuesday. He was acquitted.
Verena Gabriel
