Corrimal woman Patricia Davis jailed over Wollongong arson spree
An Illawarra woman has been sentenced after court documents revealed the shocking reason for why she went on an arson spree along a Wollongong bike track.
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An Illawarra woman who lit eight fires along a Wollongong bike track during a 90-minute arson spree has been sentenced to two years behind bars.
Corrimal woman Patricia Davis broke down in tears as Magistrate Jillian Kiely sentenced her to a non-parole period of 15 months behind bars on Tuesday, chastising her for her “troubling” arson spree on April 29 last year.
In documents tendered to the court, it was revealed Davis decided to light the fires, which came within just eight metres of one home, because she was “pissed off” after being kicked out of Wollongong train station by police late on April 28.
After the incident, Davis and her co-accused were captured on CCTV about 1am on April 29, riding their bikes along Cliff Road in Wollongong, before stopping near Levendi Cafe, and setting the bottom of a tree alight.
The pair was then spotted riding slowly along the iconic Blue Mile bike track, constantly looking around and stopping near rubbish bins.
According to the documents, Davis’s co-accused hopped off his bike near the Continental Pools, crouched down and set fire to a scrub before riding off.
The fire spread quickly, burning nearly 30 metres of bush along the track, before it was extinguished by emergency services.
The pair then continued to ride along bike tracks through Wollongong and into Fairy Meadow, setting another seven fires at Squires Way North Wollongong, near Thomas Dalton Park at Fairy Meadow, twice on a bike track inside Wollongong’s Surf Leisure Resort, at Towradgi Creek and inside the Corrimal Beach Tourist Park.
According to documents, one of the fires inside the Surf Leisure Resort was extinguished by a 72-year-old man and his neighbours, after he woke to five to six metres flames by his bedroom window.
After the arrest, police seized Davis’s mobile phone, where they found deleted video and photographs of some of the fires.
Court documents state that in one of the videos, Davis could be heard saying “hope we don’t get blamed for it”, referring to the fire, as well as “those f--kers want to be smart to me, you f--king dirty c--ts. Coppers and fire brigade, I bet everyone’s asleep.”
After her arrest, Davis admitted to lighting the fires, saying “I did it, okay. I was pissed off. I’ve never done anything like this in my life and I feel terrible.”
Davis, who pleaded guilty to eight arson offences last year, was reprimanded by magistrate Kiely on Tuesday, who said the 49-year-old’s actions could have been “catastrophic”.
“One of the many fires was detected by an elderly man, that would have caused him a great deal of stress,” she said.
“You put him at risk, and all other good Samaritans who tried to put out these fires.”
Magistrate Kiely acknowledged the defence’s submissions that Davis had a traumatic upbringing, but said it was no excuse for her actions.
“Had weather conditions have been different it could have been an absolutely catastrophic event,” she said.
“It is absolutely imperative to denounce this type of behaviour.”
Davis will be eligible for release to parole in April 2021.