Man withdraws appeal in Mynämäki arson case, prison sentence remains in effect

A man who set his victim on fire in Mynämäki, Southwest Finland, has withdrawn his appeal against the prison sentence imposed on him by the Turku Court of Appeal. As a result, the six-year and six-month imprisonment handed down by the Southwest Finland District Court this past spring will remain in effect.

The case was addressed in district court last spring. The convicted man, born in 1995, went to collect a debt at the home of a female victim in July 2023, accompanied by another man. Moments before arriving at the residence, the pair purchased gasoline from a gas station which they poured into a sports drink bottle. Once inside, a dispute arose between the victim and the convict, after which he doused the woman with gasoline and set her alight.

According to the court, another man present at the scene assisted the victim in extinguishing the flames. Nonetheless, the victim suffered extensive burns, requiring surgical treatment. She has been hospitalized for three weeks.

The Southwest Finland District Court sentenced Markus Mikael Aaltosen to a lengthy prison term for attempted murder. In addition to his prison sentence, he is ordered to pay the victim a total of €33,000 for the harm and suffering caused. The other man involved was found guilty of aiding and abetting illegal threats and received a four-month prison sentence. However, this sentence was deemed served due to time already spent in pre-trial detention.