Harley Thompson: Supreme Court considers mental health defence over alleged Nowra arson murder

A South Coast man accused of murdering his neighbour after setting fire to his house has been told there is “overwhelming evidence” he started the deadly blaze. Find out what happened in court.

A Bomaderry man accused of murdering his neighbour by setting fire to his house has been told there is “overwhelming evidence” he started the deadly blaze just four doors down from his own home, the NSW Supreme Court has heard.

Harley Thompson was charged with murder after allegedly starting the fatal inferno on August 2, 2020, which killed Cameron Robert Johnson.

The 49-year-old was inside his home on Leonard St in Bomaderry when a fire started in his lounge room. According to a triple-0 call made by Mr Johnson, multiple fires were lit around the perimeter of the house, causing it to burn to the ground.

Johnson could not escape the blaze, with a forensic pathologist report saying he died of smoke inhalation.

His 21-year-old son, who has special needs, escaped the blaze.

Thompson has pleaded not guilty to the charge on the grounds of mental impairment.

At a special hearing of the NSW Supreme Court sitting at Nowra this week, Crown prosecutor Kate Ratcliffe said Thompson had admitted to two clinical psychiatrists that he started the blaze, as well as in a letter to his mother.

Cameron Robert Johnson, 49, was killed when his Bomaderry home burnt down. Mr Johnson’s 21-year-old son, who has special needs, escaped the fire unscathed. Picture: David Swift

“The evidence is overwhelming in the crown’s submissions that it is the accused who started the fire,” Ms Ratcliffe said.

Clinical psychiatrists Kerri Eagle and Andrew Ellis both assessed the 27-year-old last year while he was in custody on remand.

Both doctors found that Thompson was likely suffering a psychotic episode during the alleged arson attack, telling the court he was suffering from hallucinations and delusions, including hearing voices in his head, stemming from undiagnosed schizophrenia.

“The doctors are unanimous in the opinion that [Thompson] at the time of the offence was suffering from a mental health impairment,” defence barrister Scott Fraser told the court.

“They were also unanimous in their opinion that at the time of committing the acts he did not know that they were wrong.”

The court heard Thompson told Dr Eagle he thought Mr Johnson was a pedophile and said he had been “burning on” the idea for sometime.

Thompson also told Dr Eagle he believed he had been in an altercation with Mr Johnson earlier in the day, causing Thompson to attack Mr Johnson’s house twice before the fire – once with a hammer – smashing lights and windows.

Dr Eagle said in a report tendered to the court she considered Thompson’s behaviour to be consistent with a psychotic rationale.

Mr Fraser urged Justice Michael Walton to find Thompson not guilty on the grounds of mental impairment.

Detectives arrested 26-year-old Harley Thompson a few doors down from the burned out Leonard St home. Picture: David Swift

However, Ms Ratcliffe argued against such a finding being made, suggesting Thompson’s confessions to the doctors may not be genuine.

She suggested Thompson had lied to psychiatrists about a number of details from the day of the fatal fire, downplaying the cocktail of methamphetamine and alcohol he had in his system at the time.

“The clear false account leads to concerns of significant unreliability of the accused, in the crown submission,” Ms Ratcliffe said.

The court heard Thompson admitted in a letter to his mother to starting the fires but made no reference to voices in his head.

Justice Walton reserved his judgment until next week.

Thompson remains in custody on remand at the Mid North Coast Correctional Facility.