A young woman who set fire to her public housing home weeks after asking to be moved to another property has avoided jail.
Brandii Battese pleaded guilty to arson and was sentenced in the Supreme Court of Tasmania last week.
Just after 1:15am on September 13 last year, she set fire to an armchair, intending to burn the house down.
She texted a friend beforehand and messaged others after leaving. A friend called Triple Zero (000) at 1:51am.
The fire did not take hold, but smoke and heat damage made the house uninhabitable.
Repairs are expected to cost around $200,000, according to an estimate.
“Arson is the most serious property crime,” Justice Robert Pearce said.
He said jail would generally be appropriate, but he took “the unusual course” of suspending it because of her “very difficult personal circumstances”.
The court heard Battese, a young Aboriginal woman, was abandoned by her mother soon after birth and raised in foster care.
She has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD and borderline intellectual functioning and uses methylamphetamine.
Justice Pearce accepted her conditions meant she lacked judgment when she lit the fire. He said jail would likely cost her a new home and NDIS support.
Her 15-month term was wholly suspended for 18 months. She will be supervised and must undergo drug and alcohol treatment and testing as directed.
A compensation order was made for Homes Tasmania.
“… What you must understand is that, although I have given you the opportunity to avoid going to prison, if you do anything else which is at all serious, you will probably not get another chance,” Justice Pearce said.
