Milton Leigh Hicks fined $192k+ for drunken excavator fire at Rosebery

A Tasmanian dad who set fire to an excavator in a moment of “drunken stupidity” has been hit with a whopping nearly $200k fine. DETAILS >

Picture: NCA NewsWire / Richard Jupe

A Tasmanian dad who set fire to an excavator in a moment of “drunken stupidity” has been hit with a whopping nearly $200k fine.

In the early hours of the morning on July 14, 2022, Milton Leigh Hicks, 41, and a co-accused were walking home after drinking for several hours.

Court documents from his sentencing in the Supreme Court of Tasmania state Hicks and the other person spotted a large excavator parked at the local railyard at Rosebery, which was being used for railway works between Zeehan and Rosebery.

Justice Michael Brett said for a reason Hicks “cannot now explain” the pair decided to set the machine on fire.

“Despite the spontaneous nature of this decision, you both showed some determination because it took a couple of attempts and some innovation to achieve your goal,” Justice Brett said.

Tasmania Fire Service put out the fire but the excavator was destroyed. Picture: PATRICK GEE

“In the end, one of you removed a hatch revealing the excavator’s air horn, which was able to be set on fire with a portable lighter.”

While firefighters were later able to extinguish the blaze, the excavator was destroyed ¬ -- with a loss amounting to $195k.

Hicks pleaded guilty to a count of unlawfully setting fire to property.

Justice Brett said the “gratuitous destruction” of the property inherently caused a risk to firefighters or any witnesses to the fire.

Hicks, who the court was told was a miner employed in Rosebery, had been given a favourable reference from his employer.

Justice Brett acknowledged there had been no danger posed to those on the scene on this occasion. Picture: PATRICK GEE

Justice Brett noted Hicks’s “relatively lengthy” criminal history which included mostly of traffic offences.

But it did not escape Justice Brett that Hicks’s run-ins with the law had mostly involved alcohol – despite him accepting the act was out of character.

“The fact that you committed this crime within the context of consuming alcohol to excess, suggests to me that you may have a problem with alcohol, although no reference has been made to that question in the presentence report,” he said.

Justice Brett handed Hicks a 12 month jail term, wholly suspended for 36 months.

He was ordered to pay $192k and an additional $2.5k in compensation.

His co-offender, a Mr Goodson, was imposed the same sentence.

Originally published as Milton Leigh Hicks fined $192k+ for drunken excavator fire at Rosebery