Court of Appeal in Eastern Finland overturns conviction of woman from Kitee accused of contaminating neighbor’s well

The Court of Appeal in Eastern Finland has overturned the conviction of a woman from Kitee who was accused of endangering public health. She had reportedly contaminated a neighbor’s well with feces and lake water containing blue-green algae. Several individuals who consumed water from the well experienced severe illness, including a pregnant woman.

Initially, the North Karelia District Court sentenced the woman to two years and two months in prison in February. However, the Court of Appeal found that the district court’s ruling was based solely on DNA evidence taken from the well. No one had observed the accused pouring feces or lake water into the well. The appellate court pointed out that the woman’s DNA could have ended up in the well through other means.

Furthermore, the samples provided by the plaintiffs had been kept in a refrigerator for over a month before being sent for testing, introducing uncertainties surrounding the collection and preservation of the evidence amidst ongoing disputes among neighbors.

The court noted that a path of depressed grass leading from the well to the woman’s property did not prove her guilt, as others could have walked through the area. The accused argued in the appellate court that anyone could have taken feces from the latrine on her property and deposited it in her neighbor’s well.

As a result of the appellate court’s ruling, the woman was released and exempted from paying nearly €14,000 in damages to the complainants. The state will cover the legal costs of the proceedings.