A renter has been jailed for burning down a suburban Melbourne home he was being evicted from because the owner wanted to demolish it and build townhouses.
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The Frankston home owner received an insurance payout of almost $260,000 for the property, which had already been boarded up when Jason Stokes, 26, was a party to arranging the fire with his brother-in-law and another man.
Stokes and 23-year-old Luke Wilson, the half-brother of Stokes' partner, were sentenced in Melbourne's County Court on Monday after a jury found them guilty of arson over the March 2016 blaze.
Stokes had also pleaded guilty to three other charges including threatening his landlord on March 2, when the property owner accompanied police to evict Stokes and his family.
Judge Sandra Davis said Stokes was upset when the officer served the eviction notice, so the owner could redevelop the property as townhouses.
"I'm going to bite your face off. I'm going to f*** you up," he told the landlord before ripping a wooden frame off a door.
Ten days later, Stokes and Wilson returned to the property to collect items, including a car parked on the front lawn.
Wilson and another man were seen near the house, while Stokes remained at the car. Shortly after they left neighbours noticed smoke.
The house was completely destroyed by the fire.
Judge Davis noted an absence of evidence about who lit the fire, and therefore sentenced the two men as parties to arson.
Wilson was 19 at the time. The court was told he had battled drug addiction. He was shocked and embarrassed by the verdict, which the judge said he described as the worst thing to happen in his life.
Stokes was raised by his drug-dealing father and was left to fend for himself as a teenager when his dad went to jail.
He began using cannabis at 12 and was introduced to amphetamines by his father at 13. He has been to residential drug rehabilitation and now only uses cannabis.
Judge Davis said Stokes had two children and is stepfather to three. She said he deserved credit for his ability to achieve a stable domestic life. He appeared to have entered a period of emotional stability, she said.
Stokes was sentenced to 18 months in prison and is eligible for parole after 10 months.
Wilson was placed on a two-year community corrections order with conditions of supervision and drug treatment. He'll have to complete 100 hours of community work.
Australian Associated Press
