Mark Peter Adams cannot explain why he ‘recklessly’ torched AMA House, court told

A bored pensioner who torched a medical building, causing $5 million damage, has an IQ in the population’s bottom 0.1 per cent, a court has heard.

A bored pensioner who “recklessly” lit a fire which caused more than $5 million in damages has an extremely low IQ and cannot explain his recklessness, a court has heard.

Mark Peter Adams, 55, set alight some paper from a wheelie bin underneath an airconditioning in the underground carpark of AMA House, North Adelaide, in May 2020.

He was found guilty of a charge of arson earlier this year, and acquitted of causing two fence fires.

James Marcus on Wednesday told the District Court his client, who appeared via video link from Yatala Labour Prison, “did not foresee the level of damage” he could cause.

“Mr Adams to this day can’t explain why he set fire to some shredded paper in a plastic bag hanging out of a bin,” he said.

“He wasn’t aware that there was an airconditioning intake just next to it which would effectively assist the fire to cause the level of damage it did.

Mark Peter Adams on a jury view during the District Court trial earlier this year. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

“This was a reckless example of the offence of arson as opposed to intentional.”

He said despite his learning difficulties and limited schooling Adams worked for the majority of his adult life until he suffered a “substantial stroke” in 2018 which left him with considerable mental and physical disabilities He spent seven months learning to walk and talk again.

“He’s effectively paralysed entirely in his left arm and down the majority of his left side,” Mr Marcus said.

“After administering a number of tools and noting there was no sign of malingering, Adams is in the bottom 0.1 per cent of the population in terms of his IQ.”

He said at the time of the offence Adams was under an agreement to be paid just $120 per week for all of his needs except accommodation and was “effectively isolated” leading to his boredom.

He urged the court to consider imposing a longer than usual non-parole period to allow Adams to be integrated back into the community with appropriate stimulation and support.

Patrick Mulvihill, prosecuting, told the court the blaze caused $5,317,680 to the building, while further damage was caused to medical equipment, furnishings, computer systems and patient records.

During the trial, the court heard Adams had threatened to light a fire for some excitement.

“For Adams, it does appear that idle hands are the devil’s tools,” Mr Mulvihill said.

The court heard he told a psychologist lighting the fire “was a stupid thing to do”, which Mr Mulvihill said indicated Adams had no insight into his offending.

Adams, who faces a maximum penalty of life in prison, will be sentenced in October.