Joutseno asylum reception centre. File Photo Lehtikuva.
An asylum seeker living in the Joutseno reception centre was fined on Wednesday for setting fire to the centre. The fire was caused after the man had started to play with hot fat in the kitchen at the centre in February.
The fire went out when the stove burned the fat away.
The prosecution believes the act was a serious act of attempted destruction. However, the South Karelia District Court judged it to be an act of carelessness. There were about 180 people living in the reception centre at the time.
The District Court sentenced the man to a 70 day fine, or 420 euros.
The prosecutor sought punishment for another resident of the reception centre, but the charges were dismissed.
