In the case of the burning of the chapel in Gutech, charges have been filed

Ostrava - The state attorney of the Regional State Prosecutor's Office in Ostrava has charged three young men accused of deliberately setting fire to a nationally protected wooden church in Třinec - Gutech last year. This was reported today by Czech Television. The Regional Court in Ostrava has not yet received the indictment, said its spokesperson Jiří Barč to ČTK. The fire caused damage exceeding 20 million crowns. According to ČT, two of the defendants face up to 15 years in prison, while the third, who was under 18 at the time of the fire, faces up to five years.

The rare Church of the Body of Christ from the 16th century burned down last August. Shortly after the fire, investigators charged three eighteen-year-olds from the Ostrava and Frýdek-Místek regions. At least one intended to continue with arson attacks and had already selected another target. They are charged with a particularly serious crime of general endangerment. "In the case of a minor, the special penalty range is from one year to five years," said supervising state attorney Josef Šuhaj to Czech Television.

According to him, the investigation of the arson attack ended at the end of February. After that, the defendants began to familiarize themselves with the case file. In the last weeks before the investigation was concluded, investigators and the prosecutor were waiting for the delivery of expert opinions. These confirmed, among other things, that the wooden church from the 16th century was indeed deliberately set on fire.

The fire caused nearly 6.7 million crowns worth of damage to the furnishings of the church monument. Damage to the church building was assessed at 14 million. A faithful replica will be created at the site of the burned church, with the construction largely covered by insurance. Costs associated with the furnishings will be covered by a collection announced by the town hall in Třinec. So far, more than 3.2 million crowns have been collected in a special account. The new church is expected to be built in the spring of 2019.