Fire left unattended 'reckless, not deliberate', court told

A BONALBO woman remains behind bars after allegedly lighting a fire and leaving it unattended.

DAMAGED: The area damaged by the fire in Bonalbo. Picture: Snr Con David Henderson Facabook

STRONG winds were lashing the region when a Bonalbo woman allegedly lit a fire which escaped to a neighbouring property.

Leah Angela Braid, 49, was refused bail after emergency services were called to a large grass fire on Clarence Way at Bonalbo on Friday afternoon.

Police will allege Ms Braid set alight garbage in a drum, which was not properly extinguished and spread toward a nearby home.

She was charged with damaging property by fire, burning garbage without a permit, leaving a fire without extinguishing it, permitting fire to escape her land, assaulting police, two counts of resisting police and breaching bail.

Ms Braid wore a black sweater bearing the word "breathe" when she appeared in the dock of Lismore Local Court on Monday.

In applying for bail on her behalf, solicitor Rod Behan, said Ms Braid may not face full time custody if convicted.

Mr Behan said Ms Braid's alleged actions were "reckless as opposed to deliberate" and that the strength of the assault and resist police allegations was unclear.

The court heard Ms Braid allegedly lit the fire at 3am on Friday, and left it unattended. The fire spread later in the day to surrounding grass.

Prosecutor Brett Gradisnik opposed Ms Braid's release, as she was already on District Court bail, pending a sentence appeal on animal cruelty and intimidation matters.

Mr Gradisnik said given the winds stirred up by Tropical Cyclone Oma last week, it was likely to have been "more windy than usual" in Bonalbo at the time.

"The likelihood of what could have occurred looms large in the (bail) application before the court," Mr Gradisnik said.

He referenced recent unrelated "fires in much larger scale" which had recently led to significant property loss in the Tabulam area.

Ms Braid had last year been sentenced to three months' prison for animal cruelty offences.

She had been on a good behaviour bond for previous animal cruelty at the time of those offences.

She was later given a suspended prison sentence for intimidation, the court heard.

Magistrate David Heilpern said if convicted, Ms Braid could face five years' prison for permitting a fire to escape alone.

"She (allegedly) allowed the fire to escape onto somebody else's property, thereby damaging it," he said.

"As we have seen, fires in this area can lead to enormous damage and risk to emergency service personnel and members of the community."

Mr Heilpern refused Ms Braid's bail and adjourned the matter to March 11.

Ms Braid's appeal matters were also mentioned before Lismore District Court on Monday, and were adjourned to the same date.

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