Prosecution seeks extraordinary sentencing for three Vítkov arson defendants

State prosecutor Brigita Bilíková is seeking extraordinary sentencing for three of the defendants in the Vítkov arson trial and a normal sentence for the fourth defendant. The verdict is expected to be announced in 14 days. If convicted, the men face between 15 and 25 years in prison.

“It is evident that they [the defendants] did everything they could to make sure the occupants of the home would either burn to death on the scene, or at a minimum suffer serious injury. They wanted to publicize their ideology and support the activities of their fellow-travelers. They set off an atmosphere of fear among the Roma,” Bilíková said in her closing arguments, which lasted more than 45 minutes.

The prosecutor is seeking the harshest punishment for defendant David Vaculík. She labeled him as one of the organizers and as the person who saw the operation through to the end. She is seeking more than 20 years in prison for him, a decision influenced by his attitude during the trial. During the investigation Vaculík demonstrated neither regret nor self-reflection and has behaved cold-bloodedly throughout. “He obviously considers himself a hero,” the prosecutor said.

Bilíková also proposed an extraordinary sentence, albeit a bit lower, for defendant Jaromír Lukeš, arguing that he had planned the crime from the beginning. It was Lukeš who selected the single-family home in Vítkov as the target. The prosecutor argued that the police investigation had shown beyond any doubt that Lukeš had wanted to do something more than just participate in neo-Nazi marches. In recommending a 20-year sentence for him, she also noted he had never expressed regret for his actions.

Václav Cojocaru, the youngest defendant, did express regret during the trial, but the prosecutor didn’t much believe him. “He is doing his best to look like a decent boy, but his regret is merely pro forma,” she said, noting that court experts had testified that Cojocaru was one of the less radical members of the attack squad. Nevertheless she proposed extraordinary sentencing for him too, of up to 20 years in prison.

Bilíková proposed the lowest sentence, within the usual limits, for defendant Ivo Müller. “He is the only one who confessed to the crime and who regrets his behavior. Even though he is an enthusiastic neo-Nazi, he is aware of the results of his behavior,” the prosecutor said. She is seeking about 15 years in prison for Müller.

In her closing arguments, Bilíková repeated several times that there was no doubt that the defendants had intended to attack a home where Roma were living in order to kill them. “Müller confirmed this in his testimony, when he said that when they were in the car they all knew they were going after ‘Gypsies’,” she said, adding that the foursome had also been incriminated by the testimonies of Cojocaru, Lukeš, and Müller. Vaculík, the only defendant to not speak during the entire investigation and trial, had not only been incriminated by his accomplices’ testimony, but also by the fact that he had been unable to keep the information secret and had confided in his friends after the arson attack.

Lukeš also confided in those he knew. “Originally it was supposed to have been a week later, but the guys couldn’t take the stress of waiting,” he said, adding that he had been looking for an appropriate house to target for about three months. “It was about publicity,” police wiretaps captured him saying. Bilíková said Lukeš and the other three defendants are all active neo-Nazis and right-wing extremists. “This was a premeditated, ideologically motivated crime,” she said.

Markus Pape, attorney-in-fact for Pavel Kudrik, the father of burn victim Natálie, called the attack an act of terrorism. Pavel Uhl, attorney for Natálie, asked that the court order a higher amount of compensation for the injured child, arguing that the usual rates were insufficient for her specific case. Uhl also said the family believed the perpetrators should be sentenced to life in prison.