The trial begins - Five young people charged after the big fire
The girl is suspected of throwing cigarette butts in the old goods warehouse where the fire started.
The fire caused 20 million crowns worth of damage, but that’s just the initial estimate made by the Swedish Transport Administration. The amount may be 25-30 million crowns. 680,000 travellers were affected for a week while public transport services stood still.
”I think we can show that she has been careless and that she may have suspected that a fire was going to start”prosecutor Marie-Louise Holmberg
It was on the 14th of August, 2019 that the fire in the old goods warehouse started. The building was in flames when the fire brigade arrived. The building could not be saved.
The fire also caused major damage to the railway premises. Almost all train services in the south of Sweden were at a standstill for a week.
Four other youths aged 16-22, are being charged with unlawful entry into the goods warehouse. Three of the five youths are also charged with petty drug offences.
In the charge against the girl it says that she did not alert the emergency services when she realised that it was on fire. The prosecutor believes that she should have done so.
– I think we can show that she has been careless and that she may have suspected that a fire was going to start, says prosecutor Marie-Louise Holmberg.
For Skånetrafiken, disruptions in public transport cost at least 10 million crowns.
The trial is scheduled for four days.
Five defendants
A 16-year-old girl is being charged for gross negligence, alternatively, failure to prevent a threat to the public and unlawful entry. She is also being charged with petty drug offences after using cannabis.
A 16-year-old boy, a 17-year-old boy, a 22-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl are being prosecuted for unlawful entry.
The 17-year-old boy is also charged with petty drug offences after using cannabis. The 16-year-old boy is charged with two counts of petty drug offences, partly for using cannabis and partly for having 0.05 grams of buprenorphine which is a classified narcotic.
