He had tons of white phosphorus in a shed near the school. The planet is headed for destruction, he explained to the court

According to the indictment, Petr Jaroš stored two hundred barrels filled with nineteen tons of sludge containing sixty-seven percent of highly dangerous white phosphorus in a shelter in Rajhrad, close to the high school, the railway station and family homes.

The man claims that he wanted to continue doing business with Kal. According to the expert, there was an acute danger of an accident, which could have devastating consequences for the surrounding area.

Together with Jaroš, Rudolf Mazánek and Jan Chovanec also stand trial. According to the public prosecutor’s office, it was they who, in 2020, negotiated a business transaction with a substance originating from the Fosfa factory.

According to public prosecutor Robert Hanuš, the men should have tried to get rid of the substance first by handing it over to two waste processing companies, but they concealed what they were actually handing over. In both cases, the phosphorus started to burn. After that, they allegedly approached Jaroš, who had the barrels stored in Rajhrad.

I didn’t want to break the law, I did it recklessly

“The guilt of all the defendants has been fully proven,” stated prosecutor Hanuš during his closing speech on Wednesday. He proposed six years in prison for Jaroš, and a year longer for Mazánek and Chovanec.

Jaroš poured ashes on his head in front of the court. “I regret a lot. It’s a huge lesson for me. The planet is falling into ruin, resources and raw materials are running out, so I felt positively that the element could be further extracted from some waste. I didn’t want to break the law, I did it recklessly,” he said in his closing speech.

Defense attorney Mazánek and Chovanec described the proposed punishments as disproportionately severe.

“The clients proceeded to implement the deal when they received a message from Mr. Jaroš that he had a customer. It was not proven that they knew it would be taken to Rajhrad and stored there,” the lawyer said, adding that a fine or probation would be appropriate.