TEEN ON 184 FIRE COUNTS
Teen on 184 fire counts
04 February 2010
published by www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au
Australia — A central Victorian teenager accused of lighting the Black Saturday fire in Bendigo that killed one man and destroyed more than $23.5 million in property allegedly made six calls to 000 the day before February 7.
Court documents viewed by The Advertiser yesterday also allege the accused teen made 39 other calls to 000, including four false calls in the days that followed Black Saturday, eight on March 2 and 12 calls on March 15.
A 15-year-old co-accused is also alleged to have made numerous calls between January and March last year.
The documents also state that police have charged the teenager, who appeared in a closed childrens court on Tuesday, with 184 charges.
They include single counts of arson causing death, deliberately lighting a bushfire, lighting fire on a total fire ban day and lighting fire in a country area during extreme weather conditions. He is also charged with 45 counts of using a telecommunications service to menace, harass and offend and 135 counts of criminal damage by fire (arson).
Mick Kane died when fire ripped through his Long Gully home on Black Saturday.
Mr Kanes wife Carol, sister Jill and her partner tried desperately to help the 48-year-old, however, the fire was too strong and he was unable to escape.
More than 350 hectares of land, 61 houses and 125 sheds and outbuildings were destroyed in the Bendigo fire.
Almost half the properties that were damaged or destroyed were valued at $100,000 or more, the court documents reveal.
A property in Ironbark Road was the worst hit with more than $3 million dollars of stock either damaged or completely destroyed as a result of the fire.
Six other properties destroyed or damaged in the fires were valued at more than $500,000.
The teenager and his 15-year-old friend were arrested by Taskforce Phoenix detectives on Tuesday morning.
During a bail application in Melbourne for the 15-year-old, the court heard the youths blamed each other for the fires.
A detective from bushfire Taskforce Phoenix told the court the boys regularly played together in bushland behind a nearby quarry and that witnesses had seen them at the quarry, heading into deeper bushland about 3.15pm on Black Saturday.
He said they allegedly lit a fire in a dry creek bed near Bracewell Street at 4.20pm.
The court heard one of the teenagers had made partial admissions to lighting the fire.
Both boys will return to court in May.
