Glenn Michie (41) was jailed for two years two months after appearing before the Dunedin District Court where he pleaded guilty to three counts of arson.
The most devastating fire the defendant lit on the night of November 30 last year gutted Di Lusso bar on Stuart St and only the quick response by firefighters saved the building.
One of Michie’s family members, who did not want to be named, said there was no doubt why it happened.
"The system has failed Glenn," she said.
Defence counsel Judith Ablett-Kerr QC said her client was left alone when he should have been under care, and Judge Kevin Phillips agreed.
"This case brings starkly into focus the difficulties people have who have major disabilities," he said.
Michie should have the support he needed available to him in the community, the judge said.
For some years, he did. Under the umbrella of the Community Care Trust, the defendant was afforded 40 hours of support.
He had a wood-splitting business the trust helped him operate and he was taken to the library to pursue other interests.
However, over the months leading up to the fires, Michie’s support had dropped to about 10 hours a week.
On November 30, a care worker left him wood-splitting.
"Just walked off," Judge Phillips said.
Michie went home, called the trust and was told no-one could come to his house.He was told to go to the library but once there he became frustrated he could not use the computers and left "upset and frustrated".
Michie wandered over to the Octagon, managed to talk himself into a couple of free drinks but before long he was back on the street "tired, hungry and cold", the judge said.
First he walked to a flat on Cargill St and after an argument with a woman there, he set fire to an upholstered chair on the porch.
One of the occupants woke up and extinguished the flames before they damaged the house.
Meanwhile, Michie continued to Cumberland St.He took two newspapers from an honesty box, screwed them into balls, slipped them under a parked car and lit them.
"The smoke and flames of the fire engulfed the undercarriage of the vehicle, causing extensive heat and smoke damage," a police summary said.
While firefighters were called to the incident, Michie walked the short distance to Di Lusso.
He took cushions from an outdoor seating area and piled them on top of some newspaper, which he set alight.
Police found Michie walking away from the scene carrying the remaining pieces of paper.
In a videotaped interview with officers, the defendant gave a meandering and contradictory version of events, which was reviewed by a psychiatrist.
The medical professional noted Michie’s parroted stock phrases and cliches.
He said the man functioned at the level of a child and probably had an IQ of about 70.
Michie was "less capable than he appears".
Judge Phillips said the total damage caused that night amounted to $192,000 but there was no chance of the victims recouping any of their losses.
A spokesman from the Community Care Trust said he could not comment on the case because of privacy issues.
