Court allows appeal, releases man from jail over St Andrew’s fire
A man who lit several fires at his former school causing $6.65 million in damage will be released from jail after a snap decision in the Court of Appeal this morning.
Local
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A man who lit several fires at his former school causing $6.65 million in damage will be released from jail after a snap decision in the Court of Appeal this morning.
Paul Hamstra, 22, will walk from prison today after serving 62 days in jail for the 2016 Anzac Day fire at St Andrew’s Lutheran College which destroyed the school’s drama and hospitality block.
Hamstra, the ringleader, was 18 when he and his friends went on a “school run” to ring the bell at their former school in Tallebudgera.
Hamstra set fire to a hat and to some paperwork in one of the lockers before closing it.
The group left thinking the fire had gone out.
In June, Hamstra was ordered to serve six months of a three-year sentence behind bars.
His co-offenders, Harrison Luke Rogers and Jackson Thomas Plass, avoided jail and were given suspended sentences after pleading guilty to arson.
Barrister Michael Copley QC argued in the Court of Appeal that Hamstra should have also received a suspended sentence.
Mr Copley said his co-offenders had been convicted of more serious charges which had “intruded” on Judge Catherine Muir’s parity considerations.
The court heard Hamstra had been a first-time offender and had “matured substantially” in the years between the crime and being sentenced.
Crown Prosecutor David Nardone said Judge Muir had been “keenly aware” of the differences between each of the young men and their offences.
He said Hamstra’s immaturity had caused “devastating consequences” for the college.
“The importance in this case is not just the financial loss – it’s also the impact on the school community,” Mr Nardone said.
The court allowed the appeal and ordered that Judge Muir’s sentence be suspended immediately.