The Jerusalem District Court sentenced a Jerusalem resident to eight and a half years in prison and probation, after he admitted and was convicted, as part of a plea agreement, of a series of serious arson acts that caused enormous damage.
According to the amended indictment, about two years ago, on two nights, the defendant committed arson in several locations - including on Rabbi Sorotzkin Street (in the Unsdorf neighborhood), in violation of a supervision order prohibiting him from drinking alcohol.
The first arson occurred in the middle of the night in a complex consisting of five buildings and approximately 120 apartments where families with children live.
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
As a result of the defendant's actions, extensive damage was caused to the buildings and many of the building's residents suffered mental distress and needed treatment for the trauma they experienced.
A significant portion of the remaining arsons, two days later, were in or near residential buildings (stairwells). Residents who were near the scene of the last fire at the time saw the defendant walking around in a suspicious manner and reported this to the police forces operating at the scene.
The police officers at the scene tried to detain the defendant, but he resisted arrest and when they tried to search the defendant's body, he kicked them and tried to bite and hit them.
The defendant was convicted of committing aggravated arson, attempted arson, arson, violating a supervision order, and obstructing a police officer.
During the sentencing arguments, the Jerusalem District Attorney's Office, through Attorney Ofri Meltzer, requested that the defendant be sentenced to eight and a half years in prison and suspended, noting that the seriousness of the defendant's actions was reflected in the fact that after the arson incidents, he stood and watched with his own eyes the immediate and very serious consequences of his actions. Contrary to the defense's claim that the defendant was a pyromaniac who had difficulty controlling his actions, the defendant was definitely in control of his actions and would not have set fire to anything belonging to him or his relatives so that he and his relatives would not be harmed.
The court accepted the prosecution's arguments in full, determined that there was no reason to reduce the defendant's sentence, and sentenced him to the sentence requested by the prosecution.
