A decision to set fire to another man's house because of an unresolved dispute resulted in 41 months' jail for a Dunedin man.
Brendon John Willis (34) and the 55-year-old house owner had known each other for four or five years when they arranged to meet at a local park on July 19 to settle a dispute, the District Court at Dunedin heard this week.
The two men argued and Willis threatened to burn down the other man's house. Later the same day, he sent a text message advising the complainant he "had best get smoke detectors".
About 2am on July 22, the complainant was asleep in his home. Willis had been in town. He travelled by taxi to his home where he collected a red candle before continuing to the complainant's home.
After loitering near the house for a while, Willis placed the candle in a small alcove beside rotting framing in the doorway. He then lit the candle and the wooden door frame caught alight. It and the door began burning. Smoke from the fire caused the complainant to wake. He went to investigate and found 20cm high flames in his front doorway.
He used a powder fire extinguisher to put out the fire, then threw a bucket of water on it before calling emergency services. Fire officers removed the front doorstep and door surround to ensure the fire was out.
When spoken to later, Willis denied starting the fire. But he later admitted the arson.
On that charge he was sentenced by Judge Kevin Phillips to three years' five months' jail, with concurrent terms of nine months and one month on unrelated charges of burglary and theft.
ODT
