Casula: Shannon Watt charged after allegedly setting home on fire

A man accused of setting fire to a home in Sydney’s southwest will remain behind bars to seek medical attention after a magistrate suggested he may have suffered a mental health “episode”.

Fire and Rescue NSW responded to a house fire on Doncaster Avae, Casula.

A man accused of setting fire to a home in Sydney’s southwest will remain behind bars to seek medical attention after a magistrate suggested he may have suffered a mental health “episode”.

Shannon Watt was arrested on Monday and charged with damaging property by fire or explosive after emergency services were called to Doncaster Ave, Casula following reports of a house fire.

Three occupants escaped the fire unscathed, while the house sustained significant damage despite the efforts of Fire and Rescue NSW.

The 46-year-old faced Liverpool Local Court on Tuesday, via audiovisual link from Liverpool Police Station in a wheelchair, as his lawyer said he suffered from severe osteoarthritis.

Fire and Rescue NSW responded to a house fire on Doncaster Ave, Casula. Picture: Joel Carrett

Magistrate Andrew Miller said it would be difficult for a bail application to proceed “if I don’t understand why this happened”.

“Based on factual circumstances, what is said in the facts tends to suggest there was some form of episode in those circumstances,” Mr Miller said.

Court documents state Watt allegedly used fire to damage “one mattress and clothing as well as the structure of (a) house/bedroom”.

Mr Miller ordered that Watt attend a mental health facility for further assessment before returning to court.

“I want you to be assessed before you make a bail application because we need to understand why things happened yesterday and what you perceived,” the magistrate told Watt.

The prosecution agreed “it’s clear mental health is an underlying factor”.

Watt’s case will return to court at a later date.