SA court told CFS arsonist Malcolm Kym Vawser will argue fire would not have damaged nearby power station

A CFS volunteer who lit a bushfire at Clarendon claims a power station in its path was not in danger, a court has heard.

A CFS volunteer who lit a bushfire at Clarendon claims a power station in its path was not in danger, a court has heard.

Malcolm Kym Vawser, 56, of Southern Vales, was found guilty at trial of lighting the bushfire along Frith Rd, Clarendon, in February last year.

The court previously heard claims Vawser was praying to God, and that he had homemade explosives and aircraft-bombing data on his home computer.

Today, his lawyer Heather Stokes told the District Court “there was no perceived risk” to the nearby substation, which supplies power to about 200,000 people, given the weather conditions on the day.

“There was no foliage to burn and the CFS are trained,” Ms Stokes said.

“The wind conditions that day would not have been strong enough to affect the substation.”

She said CFS Kangarilla brigade captain Jeff Benham could provide evidence in support of those claims.

But prosecutor Peter Longson disputed the claims.

“If it hadn’t been put out it would have kept burning and it (the substation) would have been burnt,” he said.

“I think there was clear evidence from the trial that it would have burnt up the road to the power station.”

The court heard the power station was an interconnector between Victoria and South Australia and would have caused considerable disruption to the community had it been burnt.

Judge Paul Muscat said he could not ignore the consequences which could have arisen from the fire.

“That’s why the maximum penalty is as high as it is, because of, not only the risk to life and property, but these sorts of risks that would affect large portions of the community.”

Vawser will return to court for further sentencing submissions next month.