The court confirmed the sentences for the arson of the church in Gutech

Olomouc - The Olomouc High Court confirmed the prison sentences of 3.5, eight, and nine years for a trio of young men for deliberately setting fire to a wooden church in Třinec-Guty. All three defendants, as well as the prosecutor, appealed against the original verdict. The young men requested lower sentences, and the prosecutor sought a driving ban for one of them. The youngest, who committed the act just before reaching adulthood, will serve the shortest sentence. The fire, which occurred last summer, caused damages exceeding 20 million crowns, which the young men must pay. The historical damage is immeasurable.

The highest sentence for endangerment was given to Jan Bortel, who, according to the verdict, masterminded the act. Jakub Hurník will serve one year less for aiding in endangerment, having driven his accomplices to the scene. The original sentencing range for them was eight to 15 years, while the high court stated that the sentences were at the lower end of the scale. The youngest, who was the only one to fully confess to the act, faced one to five years. "The sentences are adequate under the circumstances," said the head of the panel, Jiří Zouhar, today.

The judges acknowledged that the sentencing range was extremely harsh for the case. However, they pointed out its circumstances. "There was a fatal consequence. A church that stood here for 450 years, survived the Thirty Years' War and both World Wars, was reduced to ashes due to trivial reasons stemming from the whims of the defendants," emphasized the panel's chairman. He noted that the church housed frescoes from the 16th and 17th centuries, which are irretrievably gone. "It was a problem to assess this building; from a historical perspective, there are no tables for comparison. The assessed damages are purely material and minimal," Zouhar added.

The proceedings were closed to the public due to the age of the youngest defendant, with journalists only allowed to attend the announcement of the verdict. According to information from ČTK, the youngest perpetrator, who participated in the church arson two days before reaching adulthood, requested a lower sentence. Bortel claimed in the appeal that they did not have a serious intention to set the church on fire. However, the judges refuted this, stating that he had spoken about setting fire to some church as early as last April. He contacted the juvenile, they divided their tasks, and purchased gasoline. Bortel then paid Hurník 4,000 crowns, Zouhar reported. The court also rejected Hurník's appeal, in which he claimed that he did not know what was being planned. According to the court, this was not true; he knew why they were getting gasoline at the gas station, set the route, and drove the duo to the scene. After the decision was rendered, his lawyer told reporters that he would consider an appeal.

The rare wooden church from the 16th century was set on fire by young men from the Ostrava and Frýdek-Místek regions last August. Bortel had planned the act, agreed with Hurník to be available as a driver, and introduced his then seventeen-year-old friend to the plan for the arson attack. Together, they bought gasoline, which they poured into four plastic bottles. The youngest then placed three bottles against the back wall of the church, poured gasoline from the fourth bottle over them and around them, and ignited it with a lighter. They recorded the burning church on a mobile phone.

The Church of the Body of Christ from the 16th century was a national cultural monument. The fire caused damage of nearly 6.7 million crowns to the movable property of the church monument. The damage to the church building was assessed at 14 million crowns. A faithful replica will be built at the site, largely funded by insurance. The costs associated with the movable property will be covered by a collection announced by the Třinec city hall, of which Guty is a part. The basic construction of the new church is expected to be completed next year.