Three defendants appeal prison sentences for Czech railway cable theft

Three individuals have appealed unconditional prison sentences handed down by a Přerov court following a major railway cable theft near Lipník nad Bečvou. The case has now been transferred to the Olomouc Regional Court.

The incident occurred last November in the Jezernice area, where Ján Ištok, Martin Mirga, and Nikolas Mirga used saws and axes to cut approximately 20 meters of live cables. The theft caused significant damage to the railway infrastructure between Drahotušy and Lipník nad Bečvou, disabling six signals, two switches, and 14 track sections. This disruption caused widespread train delays on the corridor leading toward Ostrava and Poland.

The initial court ruling sentenced the three men to prison terms ranging from 15 months to 3.5 years and ordered them to pay 1.3 million CZK in damages. While defense lawyers argued the defendants acted out of ignorance and underestimated the situation, the judge maintained that the social harm necessitated unconditional sentences. The defendants have all pleaded guilty.