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“I was going to buy beer and I don’t know why I did this. I never thought of doing this in my life (…) I never intended to harm anyone. Maybe it was to harm myself,” stated the defendant at the beginning of the trial.
The man, currently in preventive detention, stands accused of a crime of forest arson.
In front of the panel of judges, the defendant acknowledged the seriousness of his actions, expressed remorse, and attributed the events to excessive alcohol consumption.
“I was mentally unwell. I started drinking heavily. I drank until I passed out. I was at a point where I didn’t care whether I lived or died,” he declared.
The events transpired on the night of September 16, 2024, in an area of bushland and forest near Calvão in Vagos.
According to the Public Prosecutor (MP), the defendant set two fires in separate locations about two kilometers apart using a burning piece of cloth.
The prosecution noted that the fires were limited to dry grasses, shrubs, and underbrush thanks to the quick intervention of firefighters and locals.
After igniting the second fire, the defendant returned to his vehicle and attempted to leave the scene but was unable to do so, as the car got stuck in the sand, leading to his identification by the GNR.
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