A Tasmanian woman who deliberately set fire to the house she had lived in for 40 years did so out of anger after being forced to leave, a court has heard.
Eileen Joyce Davey, 69, pleaded guilty to arson over the fire at Red Hills, west of Deloraine, which destroyed an inheritance intended for her late partner’s grandchildren.
She was sentenced in the Supreme Court on August 4.
The court heard Davey had lived at the property with her partner for about 40 years in a marriage-like relationship.
He became ill in mid-2023, moved in with relatives and died that December without providing for her in his will.
His executor later took steps to remove Davey from the home.
Justice Robert Pearce said Davey had warned family members that if she could not live there, no one would, because she would burn it down.
On October 28, 2024, the day she had been ordered to leave, friends helped her pack up and move out.
The court heard Davey later returned to the house alone and deliberately lit the fire.
It largely destroyed the property, causing damage valued by the state at $270,000.
Justice Pearce said the beneficiaries of the estate, understood to be the grandchildren of Davey’s late partner, were likely deprived of all or part of what they were owed.
“I have been given no further details of whether they or an insurer will bear the loss but it is a loss nevertheless,” he said.
Justice Pearce said the fire caused significant damage and the crime had to be condemned, but the risk to other people was limited because the property was remote and no one else was there.
“Nevertheless, fires always involve some risk including to the officers of the fire service who are sent to deal with them,” he said.
Davey was sentenced to two years in prison, wholly suspended for 18 months.
She was also ordered to pay $270,000 in compensation, although Justice Pearce said there was “little prospect” she would ever be able to pay any of it.
