Woman jailed for trying to burn her home down to evict flatmate

A woman who took the “extreme” measure of attempting to burn down her home to evict a flatmate has been jailed.

Sharon Lee Coghlan.

A woman who took the “extreme” measure of attempting to burn down her home to evict a flatmate has been sentenced to jail with a judge saying it was just too serious to let her walk from court.

Brisbane’s District Court heard there had been growing animosity between Sharon Lee Coghlan, 50, and the flatmate that culminated in a heated argument on August 27 last year.

Crown prosecutor Jane Shaw said Coghlan, who had been living in her rented Narangba home for five years, told the other woman she was going to burn the place down.

“The defendant went into the laundry and retrieved a tin of paint thinner and began throwing it on the tiled hallway,” Ms Shaw said.

“She continued to shout I’ll f*****g burn it and ‘I’ll light it’.”

Sharon Lee Coghlan was jailed for attempted arson.

The court heard Coghlan, who had a degree in psychology, ignited the paint thinner and the flames quickly engulfed the walls and tiles of the house with thick black smoke billowing through the property.

The flatmate’s partner grabbed a hose and extinguished the fire before it could still take hold, however more than $50,000 in damage was caused, Ms Shaw said.

The court heard the property was rented to Coghlan by a non-for-profit agency.

Ms Shaw said Coghlan admitted to police “that she started the fire and did so to burn the f*****g thing to the ground and to get the (flatmate) out of the house”.

Coghlan on Tuesday pleaded guilty to attempted arson.

The court heard at the time of the offending Coghlan was on a suspended sentence and had finished parole for another matter just two weeks before the fire.

“The offending, while unsophisticated, was extremely concerning and serious, motivated by malice,” Ms Shaw said.

“It did require the intervention of others and could have had catastrophic consequences as to the occupants but also a risk to other residences.”

Coghlan’s barrister Kate Fuller said her client was making regular payments to go towards the repair bill.

She said Coghlan had a long history of trauma, suffered mental health issues and had a problem with the drug ice.

“She commenced drugs in 2009, which is when she separated from her husband, and from then there’s been a series of traumatic events,” Ms Fuller said.

A psychiatric report by the court noted Coghlan suffered chronic depression, polydrug use, isolation and loneliness.

Judge Paul Smith said Coghlan’s offending was “pretty extreme”.

“There was a risk to life, there were people in the house at the time,” he said.

“It’s just too serious not to sentence you to actual jail.”

Coghlan was sentenced to two years’ prison with a parole release date of February 1.