Young man on trial admits setting church fires in Vantaa last year

Defendant says he was "delusional"

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A man on trial for arson in the fires at two houses of worship in Vantaa in October last year admitted in court on Thursday that he had set the blazes. Previously he had denied involvement in the fires.
      The 25-year-old man admitted to setting a fire that destroyed the Kaivoksela Lutheran Church, and a second blaze that damaged a Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall in nearby Martinlaakso.
      The defendant, who expressed deep remorse for his actions, said that he was in a state of delusion when he set the fires. He said that he had sensed that church people were speaking to him both inside his head and through people appearing on television. He said that the voices in his head questioned his resolve, so he acquired a canister of petrol.
      He set the Jehovah's Witnesses building on fire on October 10th, and Kaivoksela Church on October 15th. The defendant said that he had looked inside the windows to make sure that nobody was inside.
      Defence lawyer Heikki Lampela said that his client's state of mind should be examined.
      Prosecutor Tom Söderlund said that the cause of the attack was the defendant's resentment at having been rejected in ecclesiastical circles.
     
Vantaa District Court decided that it would give an interim ruling on Wednesday of next week, when it would rule on the man's guilt or innocence and decide whether nor not a psychiatric examination is called for.
      The prosecution estimated the damage at the Jehovah's Witnesses building to be EUR 200,000, which the defendant accepted. The damage at the Kaivoksela Church was estimated to be about EUR six million. The defence estimated the figure to be EUR 1.2 million.
     
The interior of the Kaivoksela Church was destroyed almost completely. The roof structures of the Jehovah's Witnesses' Kingdom Hall were badly burned, but the interior of the building was largely spared.
      It is as yet unclear whether the Kaivoksela church will be rebuilt. The church, erected in 1969, has declined in significance following the building of another church in Myyrmäki. The Kingdom Hall, meanwhile, has been repaired by volunteers from within the congregation and is expected to be open to worshippers again at the end of February.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Young man arrested on suspicion of arson of Kaivoksela Church in Vantaa (16.10.2006)

Helsingin Sanomat