A man who enlisted a 15-year-old boy to set fire to his estranged wife’s home has had his prison sentence more than tripled, after an appeal court found the original penalty was “manifestly inadequate”.
David Woolley, 41, was initially sentenced to 15 months imprisonment for instigating two arson attacks.
That sentence was quashed last month by the Supreme Court of Tasmania’s Court of Criminal Appeal and replaced with four years behind bars.
Woolley pleaded guilty to two counts of arson after convincing his new partner to arrange for her teenage son to burn down the Lutana home his wife was renting in November 2023.
The first fire caused about $350,000 in damage.
Three days later, the teenager returned and set the shed alight, destroying a further $70,000 worth of property.
Text messages tendered in court showed Woolley demanded updates during both fires, requested photos and celebrated the destruction.
After learning the shed had survived the first blaze, he texted his partner: “Shed is still up. LOL. Half the job. XX.”
He followed up with: “Get that done tonight, hun.”
Woolley later told police his motivation was to “get back at” and “hurt” his wife because he believed she had been unfaithful.
His wife and their three children lost all their possessions, including irreplaceable photographs and keepsakes.
The property owners also suffered significant financial and emotional harm, the court heard.
The Director of Public Prosecutions appealed the original sentence, arguing it failed to reflect the seriousness of the offending.
The three-judge panel agreed, finding the crimes were “calculated” acts of family violence that demanded strong punishment and deterrence.
The court said Woolley’s remorse deserved little weight, noting he had gloated after both fires and later described his actions as “bad decisions” driven by “poor mental health”.
The panel found his involvement of a teenager and the deliberate targeting of his wife’s home made his culpability “very high”.
Woolley will not be eligible for parole until September 2027, after serving half his sentence.
