Jacob Darcy: Coonamble RFS truck arsonist sentenced
An ice-smoking young dad who set fire to an RFS truck at Quambone in the state’s central west, and caused more than $184,000 worth of damage has walked free from jail.
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A drug addict who was on parole when he threw a molotov cocktail and destroyed a Rural Fire Service truck, causing more than $184k worth of damage, has been spared more time behind bars.
Coonamble man Jacob Darcy, 21, pleaded guilty to one count of intentionally setting fire to the Pine Grove Rural Fire Brigade truck on June 12 last year.
The stolen truck was spotted in Quambone, 200 kilometres north of Dubbo, by local RFS volunteers who saw Darcy walking from the truck to a nearby home on Cooma Street with a stubby of beer in his hand.
Black smoke was billowing out of the truck and after the volunteers extinguished the blaze, a molotov cocktail was thrown nearby.
Police found Darcy hiding in the roof of the Cooma Street home.
Damage caused to the interior cabin of the truck was so bad an insurance company wrote the truck off.
The damage bill was estimated to be about $184,000 or half the cost of the truck which had to be replaced.
At a sentencing hearing in the Dubbo District Court on Monday, Judge Nanette Williams said Darcy was on parole when he set fire to the truck.
“He acknowledged that he was on drugs at the time and he made the wrong decision,” Judge Williams said.
“He was unable to explain his behaviour and did not understand why he did it.”
The court heard Darcy had a cognitive impairment and first started smoking cannabis as a 10-year-old, to cope with childhood trauma.
By age 13, Darcy was using speed and at 14 he turned to ice.
“The offender has a significant history of trauma, loss and grief,” Judge Williams said.
“The offender would witness his mother getting bashed all the time. He would get a flogging from his mother … she would hit him with a jug cord or spatula.
“He said he was bullied at school by the other children because he couldn’t read or write.”
Exposure to domestic violence at a young age, the breakdown of his family and a sexual assault had significantly affected Darcy’s psychological wellbeing, Judge Williams said.
“He attempted suicide a number of times after the sexual assault.
“He was diagnosed with schizophrenia approximately five years ago by a doctor in Dubbo.”
Darcy was remanded in custody when he was arrested on June last year, however earlier this year he was given Supreme Court bail to attend a residential drug rehabilitation facility.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic saw Darcy’s bail varied, to allow him to live in Coonamble, but he ended up back behind bars after he was found at his father’s home in Wollongong.
Judge Williams said Darcy wanted to move to Wollongong, attend rehab again get and care for his one-year-old child.
“If the offender does have appropriate access to ongoing rehabilitation, there are very good prospects of rehabilitation if he can get access to the drug rehabilitation.
“The offender does have some plans to try and get work, learn to read and write, look after his child and reconnect with his Aboriginal heritage.”
While there was an “urgent need” for Darcy to get access to a drug rehabilitation facility again, Judge Williams said the community could not tolerate attacks on firefighting equipment.
Darcy was convicted and sentenced to 1 year, 10 months and 15 days in jail backdated to June 12 last year.
A non-parole period of 1 year and 4 months allowed Darcy to be released immediately.
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