For the arson on October 17, 2024, in Ternaard, where three barns of a farm were completely burned down, a 33-year-old woman from Leeuwarden appeared in court today. She is also suspected of attempted arson at the primary school it Harskip in Ternaard on September 22, 2024.
The prosecutor: A huge sea of fire, that is what I see when I look at the images of the fire. A sea of fire that has consumed someones lifes work. Three barns have been completely burned down along with everything that was inside. The harvest was lost, the business has perished. A total damage of approximately 7.5 million euros. There was nothing left.
The prosecutor states in her indictment that this is an arson with significant societal impact. Streets and gardens were littered with pieces of solar panels, soot, and insulation material released by the fire. The weekend after the fire, all football matches had to be canceled because the football fields were covered with fire debris. The whole village has been affected by this fire.
Thanks to the quick intervention of the fire department, the residential farm was saved. The cause of the fire remains unclear; the flames had destroyed all traces. The suspect comes into view because people from her environment heard her say that she had started the fire. She later confessed this to the police.
The attempted arson at the primary school t Harskip is also deemed legally and convincingly proven by the prosecutor. The suspect allegedly said to the emergency services on September 22: I am going to set the school in Ternaard on fire tonight with spirit. The next day, the schools director finds a bottle of spirit at the bike shed, and later it was established by the school caretaker that there was fire damage at the entrance door.
The prosecutor: Arson against an arbitrary victim causes feelings of fear and insecurity for victims in particular and for society in general. In determining the sentence demand, the prosecutor considers, in addition to the seriousness of the offense, the personality of the suspect. This is not the first time the suspect has come into contact with the police and justice for arson.
The prosecutor demands 18 months of imprisonment plus TBS with conditions, as a treatment is deemed necessary by the Public Prosecution Service.