A 40-year-old man has been detained by the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) on suspicion of committing two urban arson crimes on April 10 in Caldas da Rainha municipality.
In a statement released to the press, the authority stated that the arrest was made “in compliance with an arrest warrant” issued by the Department of Investigation and Penal Action (DIAP) of Leiria.
“The suspect started the fires in two buildings, a residence and a residential annex, within the context of numerous domestic violence episodes against his former partner,” the authority explained.
The crime was reportedly motivated by “revenge” following the “sudden abandonment of the home by the partner, who took refuge in a neighbor’s house and was later housed in a support institution.” The incidents were further fueled by excessive alcohol consumption.
According to the PJ, the fires resulted in “significant material damage, which only avoided more serious consequences due to the prompt intervention of firefighters and some residents.”
After appearing in court, the man, with a criminal record for drug use/trafficking, attempted homicide with a bladed weapon, and robbery, was subjected to preventive detention.
According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Leiria District, the man was indicted for two arson crimes and a domestic violence crime.
The prosecutor’s office stated on its website that the crime occurred on the night of April 9 to 10, when the suspect, using a lighter, set fire to “a mattress in a bedroom, a bunk bed in another room, and a cabinet in the living room, creating three fires that slowly spread to the rest of the house’s contents.”
He then went to the annex and “brought the lighter’s flame close to a pile of firewood stored in that division, causing a fire that spread to the rest of the annex.”
The couple began a romantic relationship in 2018, and since then, the defendant “physically and psychologically abused his partner, insulting and assaulting her, thus offending her honor and dignity and causing her injuries and suffering.”
