C19 admits however through his lawyer that he has started the fire in the stairwell but adds that he had no intention to harm anyone. The three others admit through their lawyers that they have been in the culvert and in the stairwell. The rest of the day was taken up by revieweing the technical proof, amongst other things pictures from the premises, the stairwell and the culvert were shown. The large amount of vandalism that had taken place in the culvert during the night when the fire disaster occured plus other technical proofs had given reason to the police to suspect, already during the first months, that the fire had been set by purpose. The chief prosecutor stated that those four have deliberately and with an agreement started the fire. With knowledge about that a fire has been started, they have then left the place indifferent about the consequences that this act could lead to.

After that it was time for each lawyer of each accused person to put up the case of his client. Anders Munck told that A21 did not at all got into the culvert to start a fire but to commit a burglary and that he had not started any fire but he had seen C19 to burn a peice of paper. Göran Franzén said that B19 admits act of vandalism in the culvert and that he after hearing C19 saying that he has started a fire, pulled up a fire hose near to the door to the stairwell and walked towards the stairwell, but he did not see any fire or smoke and then left the place. Göran Bergendahl said that C19 started the fire in order that only a chair could catch fire and to cause extra expenses for his friends who had arranged the party. He continued that C19 had the beleif in that the fire will be terminated by itself. He stated also that C19 felt humiliated because of having to pay to enter the party and the idea of starting a fire had come up after the arguments and that no threats had been spoken before the party as a witness has claimed. Leif Silbersky said that D19 had not been involved in any discussions about starting fire nor had he any intention to sabotage the party.

2000-05-05: The trial had a break today. It was reported that at least two TV-cameras will be placed in Room A from monday. One camera will be pointed on the attornies and the other one on the accused persons. 10 more seats in Room A will also be offered to the case owners. These seats were reserved for the families of the accused persons but have not been used during the first two days of the trial.

2000-05-08: The trial continued today. the problem with the transmission of tv-pictures was solved in a very good way. It was D19 who became the first of the accused to tell his story. He said that he let the three others back into the culvert after that they had got out from there and the door had got locked. Afterwards he got back to the party, went through the emergency exit, via the stairwell, into the culvert to let them in again. Ha said that his belief was that they would let people in that way for half of the price. The first time in the culvert they committed vandalism. The second time there, they found a can with some inflammable liquid in it which they took with themselves to the stairwell.

D19 told further that there were some arguments at the party, that someone pulled a knife and that he had come to the party by himself and joined the others for not being alone. He didn't think that the fire could spread to the premises where all the youngsters were but was afraid that it could reach Backa-theatre (which is connected to the culvert). He told that he would have never let them in if he knew what would happen. He said that he didn't try to stop C19 because he was afraid that he could beat him since he looked as he had used drugs and that he didn't tell anything afterwards since he was afraid to be imprisoned.

2000-05-09: The court continued today with C19. He told that they had been in the culvert only once and that there was not any can with inflammable liquid in it but a glass bottle with some painting brushes and some liquid in it. He told further that he didn't roll up any paper that he lighted on but that he and two others teared down some papers and put under a chair that had fallen down from a stack of chairs one meter away, that he lighted up the paper under the chair and someone else came afterwards and lighted on the same paper. He told that everyone was standing near to the fire when it was lighted and noone did say anything positive or negative regarding it and that on the way out D19 took the glass bottle with the liquid in it and throwed it on the stairs. He didn't want to tell who the other one that lighted up the paper was.

He said that he decided to confess since D19 had told so much that were wrong and to ease his burden. He said that he thought that the fire would die by itself if the emergency exit door was not opened. He said that at the bus station he thought about the fire and that it could spread and that he might had to get back and check but then the bus came and those thoughts disappeared. First time he got to know about the disaster was through a message from his sister that reached his mobile. He didn't imagine that it was because of the fire that he had started but that it must be somewhere else. He said that later when it was clear for him that some people had died in a fire at Backaplan, he had got there with a couple of those others and seen the devastation. Well there they have realized that they could do nothing and that it was best to leave the place, which they did.

Later on the same day, A21 told that they had been in the culvert and in the stairwell twice and that he comitted some vandalism in the culvert during the first time and that the fire was raised in the stairwell during the second time. He told that papers were gathered and put under a chair that had fallen from a stack of chairs, that he saw that someone lighted up a piece of paper with a cigarett lighter but that he can not remember who did what, and only knows what he has done and he has done nothing. He said that there were no inflammable liquid.

He said that he does not have any responsibility for what has happened and thet it feels lonely now that everything has happened. Otherwise it has been exposed that he has comitted many crimes before such as robbery, burglary and assaults.

During these days the accused persons have been heard by the prosecutors, the defence and the lawyers who represent the case owners, who have shown that what these persons say in the court differs from what they have said before to the police on several occasions. The chief prosecutor and the lawyers have acheived to proof this many times during the trial and thereby forced these four to change their stories and expose themselves by not telling the truth.

It is astonishing that all four vindicate that they could never think that the fire could reach the premises since it was just a peice of paper which was burning in the middle of the stairwell, but all of them have thought that it could either reach Backa-theatre, or spread if the emergency exit door was opened. It is important to add that it has been exposed that all four have neglect their studies and often skipped the school which in their case was the last security net.

The lawyers who represent the four accused will ask the court to take part of those documents from the investigation material that were made confidential yesterday.

2000-05-12: The trial continued today with hearings of some of the witnesses. Ulf Wickström, professor at The swedish testing and research institute showed the facts that they have found out. According to him, the fire had ended by itself if it had not received any new fresh air as it did from the opened doors. One single chair, that was burning, had not been enough for the fire to spread that fast. "Inflammable liquid upon many chairs in combination with the content of the plastic bags and papers pushed in between sound very probable." said Ulf Wikstöm regarding what he thought could be the real reason.

Another witness, a 46-years old stage crew at Backa-Theater was heard about another fire that he had turned out by his own at the Backa-Theater during the same night as the premises burned. Leif Silbersky asked him about what he could remember regarding some nazi skinheads that were seen in the area during the same night.

Parash told that after hearing the DJ shouting out that there was a fire, he thought that there must be a short circuit thing in one of the speakers. He didn't see any smoke or fire. He decided anyhow to walk away from the stage to the bar where his girlfriend was standing. Then everything happened all of a sudden and everybody started to run towards the entry door where they got caught. Then the white smoke came and after that the black smoke and it became very difficult to breathe. Parash tried to rescue his girlfriend by pushing her in front of him but she got caught. When he wanted to get her free, he took a deep brathe to get some new forces but then he lost consciousness.

"It was like someone was trying to strangle you, but you couldn't fight back and get free. The air just wasn't there." said Parash. His undramatic, clear and obvious way of explaining the disaster made the reality to once again remind itself to the court and to surpass everything else. Many of the relatives in the court rooms found it difficult to hide their feelings and cried in despair. Even a couple of those accused found it difficult to hear one of those who have suffered to explain with his own words how it was there when it was burning.

Parash survived with 30 precentages burn injuries. His girlfriend survived also with burn injuries. His brother Norden is one of our 63 friends who died in the fire. He would have been 21 years old today.

2000-05-15: The trial continued today. The chief prosecutor handed over the material that has become confidential to the court. This was upon the request of the defence who want to refer to this material in the trial. the material which is still partly confidential is about the contacts that the police has had with a witness who was heard today at the trial. The police claims that it is to protect the witness.

The witness who knows all four well told that he met C19 outside the premises. According to the witness, C19 had then said that "The devil is here tonight" and told further on that he would destroy the party so that the fire squad would come. C19 had also asked the witness to come along into the party but the witness had left the place and went to the city.

The witness has tried several times during the investigations to raise the attention of the police by telling them that they should investigate those who were involved in an argument at the party. He had also said to his karate teacher that he knew who had started the fire. This was confirmed by the karate teacher who mentioned all the occasions when the witness had indicated that he knew who had caused the fire. At last it was also the karate teacher who gave him the advice to go to the police which he did at the beginning of december 1999.

The chamber prosecutor and the lawyers questioned him also about the reason why he after all decided to inform the police about what he knew. The lawyers thought that it could be because of the reward money that was announced in 2:nd of december 1999.

The witness said however that it is not because of the money that he now has told everything that he knows but that he needs them now since he has come out with these informations and will therefore probably have to leave the city or the country. He didn't find it right that another one of his friends who was arrested for arsons in Falun, was also suspected for the fire in Göteborg. He said that he as a foreigner has learned to not trust the police. He asked for forgiveness because it had taken so long time for him to hand over his information but all human beings make mistakes and no one is perfect. He said that he wanted to step forward now to help those who have suffered to find out the truth. He answered also to the question about how it feels now: "But this is the happiest day of my life. Finally I've got rid of this backpack.".

2000-05-16: The trial continued today with hearing of a witness that the defence lawyer Göran Bergendahl had called. This witness was there inside and outside the premises during the night of the fire and had also been involved in the police investigations. He was arrested in Falun after some purposely fire accidents and was connected to the fire disaster in Göteborg. He is now convicted for arson and is doing his time.

During the police interrogations he had said that the witness, who testified yesterday and told who had caused the fire, "is not wise" and that he talks only to make the police confused. He himself made a very confused impression today when he could not remember whether the witness from yesterday had said to him that he had heard C19 say that it was him who has caused the fire, or at which coffee shop he had met the witness and some of those accused including C19 some day after the fire, or if he had phoned C19 later to ask him if it was true or if C19 during the telephone call had become upset and said that it was not him. He said that everything could have been that way but that he didn't remember it now.

A21 has been convicted before for amongst other things assaults, first time when he wanted to defend his younger brother against some nazis who were assaulting him. He has trained some wrestling but had to finish it because of an arm injury. He had been unemployed for a long time before he was arrested. He wants to start a business of his own.

B19 has been convicted before for amongst other things an attempt to commit manslaughter when he, his brother and a relative had assaulted a man with a plank with nails on it. He had been working in his brothers shop and was about to start at his own shop that his parents had bought for him before he was arrested.

D19 has not been convicted before. He was doing a media education before he was arrested. He has always had difficulties in the school but wants to continue his studies later. He has said that he wanted to go to the police many times but that he had not dared to.

D19 apologized today to those who have suffered "Because I have not warned the police or someone in the premises. I should have turned out the fire but I didn't know that it would burn so much. I think a lot about what has happened. I have been with these three, one of them has started the fire, and I have been there and seen it. One sits and thinks and cries.".

Even C19 wanted to say some words "This has been difficult for all. I think that everyone understands that we are really sad about what has happened and that it has never been any intention to harm anyone. I hope that you can have an understanding for that we could not realize that something like this would happen.".

The two other accused had still nothing to say. The court decided today that B19 should go through a forensic psychiatric medical examination.

He thinks that C19, who has not changed his story and has admitted his guilt, has been honest after all. He said further that the confession of C19, in which he amongst other things had said that three of them participated in tearing out papers and put them under a chair, must be regarded. The chief prosecutor refreed also to the fire expert and said that one single burning chair could not have caused this disaster. He said further that the motive had been that three of them felt humiliated since they were not allowed into the party for free and continued "We have never claimed that they deliberately have started a fire so that 63 young people should die. It is important to observe that. On the other hand the fire has been started deliberately. It is not about a cigarette fag but about that the fire is set by purpose in the stairwell.".

He applied that all should be convicted for arson of first degree and demanded that three of them (A21, B19 och C19) should be convicted to several years in prison and the fourth (D19) to be taken care of in a restricted reformatory home for youngsters. He mentioned however that there is a reason to lower the punishment under the minimum for arson of first degree "None of the boys were over 21 years old at the time of the fire.". He demanded also that all four should remain in custody until a verdict has gained legal force. He requested that they should continue to follow special restrictions while in custody because of further investigations reasons.

Thomas Bodström, the lawyer who represents about 250 case owners within BOA, demanded the maximum penalty according the law and regarding the circumstances of this case with consideration about their ages. He said "There are only losers in this case. The situation is the same for the case owners and the four accused and regardless of the outcome. The accused four will be remembered as those who caused the death of 63 young people, regardless if the court find the proofs as enough. Many young people have suffered of psychical and physical injuries that in many cases never will be cured. Children and youngsters have lost their brothers and sisters. Parents have lost what the rest of us have not even the strength to think about, their children. In some cases, the only child. It is important to bring it forward since this is what this trial is about. No refund in this world can calm this sorrow and missing. What can relieve them is that these four tell how it really happened when their kids died.".

In the afternoon the turn came to nine of the suffering relatives to expose their opinion to the court and the four accused. The first ones were Peter Axman and his wife Gunilla (parents to Sofia). Peter said "We see no hesitation where the guilt is. It is amongst these four guys.". Gunilla said amongst other things "All four have tried to hide the facts and their own participation, but all are guilty in equal. But, they have one more chance to gain a little respect from their injured friends, from their dead friends and from us the relatives, by telling the whole truth and by not remaining in silent. Only then they can gain respect.". She hoped that all four would become convicted.

Anders Munck, the lawyer of A21, said "He has consistently denied all accusations. And none of the other three accused has pointed him out as involved in any kind. The same applies to all other people who have been heard in this investigation. Anything that the prosecutor has gathered against my client is nothing, except from what he himself has said. He has been on a wrong place, at a wrong time and in wrong company.". He said further about the witnesses that have been involved in the trial "The witness and his teacher have stories that do not fit together regarding the times. On the whole, it is so that none of the interrogated persons who have left any troublesome information against those who are accused, have pointed out anyone before the reward was announced. These informations must therefore be examined very carefully.".

The court announced after the break that the accused persons should remain in custody. The verdicts will be announced on the 8:th of June.

The court considers that it has appeared that the fire has been started on the stairs in the stairwell and so high up there that the smoke has not drived out to the culvert. The information means also that it can be considered that the fire has not been started on the upper part of the stairwell. By the information from Ulf Wickström it has been cleared up that a fire which had been started under one single chair could not spread to other chairs in the stairwell. The fire must therefore have been set amongst the chairs which were stacked on some of the stairs near to the lower plane. A condition for the intensity of the fire was that the door between the culvert and the stairwell and the door between the premises and the stairwell stood open at the same time. That this happened was caused since the closing devices on both those doors did not function. This does not affect the responsibility for the fire.

The court considers that the testimonies that A21, B19 och C19 have delivered to the court, are incomplete and trueless in great parts. From their stories it is cleared up that they have agreed on how to act and what to say to the police, if they were suspected for the fire. D19 has however been kept outside these agreements. The court considers that there is no reason to dismiss what one of the security guards and one of those who arranged the party have told about their meeting, one week before the party, with some of those accused when C19 said that he would sabotage the party if he was not allowed to get in for free.

The court considers that it is cleared up that all four got out through the emergency exit, that they went down by the stairs and climbed over the banisters near to the resting plane where the chairs blocked the stairs, that they continued out through the culvert where they performed some vandalism and later went outside through the blue gateway. The court considers that it has been cleared up that D19 then went back to the party through the entrance and got to the culvert the same way as before and let in A21, B19 and C19 into the culvert the second time when C19 had intention to sabotage the party by starting up a fire and that they by this purpose had walked towards the stairwell.

By following the others D19 had shown that he wanted to be with them. There is no reason to distrust that D19 thought that they would let people into the party that way. By the testimonies of C19, D19 and partly B19, it is cleared up that all four were in the stairwell when the fire was started. C19 has for the court explained that it was him and two others who teared up papers, without revealing their names. During the police interrogations he had however said that it was him and D19 who teared up papers. It is near to think that C19 has pointed out D19 because D19 has told that it was C19 who started the fire. It is therefore not cleared up who have teared up papers.

D19 has told to the court but not during the police interrogations that C19 had found a can with inflammable liquid in it in the culvert, which he brought with himself. In the investigation material of the case there is no evidence that confirms this. It is only C19 who has said that D19 throwed the content of a glass bottle over the fire. This was after that D19 had pointed him out. It has been cleared up that C19 had the can with him in the stairwell and that the others saw this. The court considers that according to Ulf Wickström can nothing else but gasoline have had any importance for the development of the fire and nothing confirms that there was any gasoline in the can. By what D19 has said it has been cleared up that C19 spilled the liquid from the can over the chairs in the stairwell. A21 and B19 must have seen that. D19 has also said that C19 throwed a sack over the chairs according to exhortations of A21 and B19 and laid another sack under the chairs. C19 has said that he is quite certain that no sacks were used. B19 says that he does not know if any sacks were used.

They must therefore have realized that there was a risk that the fire would spread to the premises and thereby cause danger for other people's life and health and for huge destruction of other's properties. Under any circumstances they have been indifferent to the danger that the fire meant. Because of what has been stated it has been cleared up that they have acted intentionally. The deed is, as the prosecutor has claimed, to be considered as arson of first degree.

A21 was 19, C19 and B19 were 18 and D19 was 17 years old when the crime was committed. The penalty for arson is prison at least sex years and at most ten years or life sentence. According to the regulation can no one get a life sentence for a crime that he has committed before he has reached the age of 21. A restricted reformatory sentence is suggested for those who have not reached the age of 18 when a crime has been committed, according to the same regulation. The court has therefore found all four guilty of arson of first degree. C19 is convicted to 8 years in prison. Both A21 och B19 are convicted to 6 years in prison. D19 is convicted to 3 years in a restricted reformatory home for youngsters. All four have to be kept in custody with same restrictions as now until the verdicts have gained legal force.

TV (Swedish public services TV, TV4)
Radio (Swedish public services radio)
Newspapers (Göteborgs-posten, Aftonbladet, GT/Expressen,
Metro, Arbetet, Dagens Nyheter, Svenska Dagbladet)