Identity of Suspect in Australian Wildfires Not Released

Identity of Suspect in Australian Wildfires Surrounded by Smoke


Written by: Karen Benardello


Australian authorities arrested a man on Friday, Feb. 13 in connection with the deadly wildfires that raged through the southeastern section of the country’s Victoria state. The man, who was whisked into protective custody to guard him from public fury, was charged with one count of arson causing death and intentionally lighting a wildfire.

The fire was lit on Feb. 7 near the town of Chruchill, where at least 21 people died. This one fire sparked several hundred more fires, which in total left 7,000 people homeless and destroyed entire towns. Police are currently searching for more victims and are trying to identify the victims already found. After the search is complete, the final death tally is expected to exceed 200, with more than 1,800 homes and 1,500 square miles of forests and farms burned.

During a news conference, the Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner, Dannye Moloney, said the police department is keeping the identity of the suspect, who was brought to the state capital of Melbourne, secret for his own safety.

The Australian Broadcasting Corp., who, like all publications and broadcasters, is banned from running any identifying details or photographs of the suspect. The corporation did report that the suspect was formally charged in the town's magistrate’s court, but he did not appear in an effort to protect his safety. The report also stated that he was ordered to be held in custody and undergo psychiatric evaluation.

If found guilty, the man faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison for the deadly arson charge, and a maximum of 15 years on the second arson charge. He can receive these long sentences because police believe foul play was the cause of at least two of the deadly blazes, including the Churchill fire. But experts, including Thomas Fee, a former president of the Maryland-based International Association of Arson Investigators, say arson can be very hard to prove. Physical evidence usually goes up in smoke or is taken away by the arsonist(s).

Even more difficult to prove is murder by arson. One wildfire often sparks several others, making it tough to link a fire set by an arsonist with the blaze that eventually kills people, said Damon Muller, who has researched arsonists for the Australian Institute of Criminology.

In an effort to help the survivors, officials said the nation has pledged more than 75 million Australian dollars ($50 million USD) in donations to various charities. The government has also ordered that military bases be opened to house some of the homeless.

Officials partly blamed the high death toll on the number of people who waited until they saw the fast-moving blazes coming before trying to flee. The disaster increased the urgency for a nationwide fire warning system, which has been hasn’t been implemented in years because state and federal officials haven’t been able to agree on one system. Currently, the public is allowed to make their own decisions on when to flee areas stricken by wildfires.

While officials are right to withhold the suspect’s identify right now in an effort to insure he lives to make it to his trial, hopefully they will release his name to the public once the trial does start. The suspect should have to face the charges publicly, so he can either admit to the crime if he’s guilty, or fight the charges if he’s innocent. If he is guilty, he should be forced to face the country where he caused damage and harm to countless people, animals and acres of property.