Man charged with murder of three killed in Newtown boarding house fire mentioned in court
A man who allegedly murdered three men when he set a Sydney boarding house alight walked into a police station wearing clothes that were singed and covered in ash.
Police & Courts
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A man who allegedly murdered three men when he set a Sydney boarding house alight traipsed the city streets for almost 19 hours before walking into a police station wearing clothes that were singed and covered in ash.
Richard Hotoran, 45, walked into Surry Hills Police Station just after 8pm on Tuesday and allegedly made comments about the horror fire at Newtown that claimed three lives. He was arrested and charged with murder.
It will also be alleged Hotoran was wearing slightly singed and ashy clothing at the time of his arrest.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Detective Chief Superintendent Darren Bennett praised the work of general duties officers at Surry Hills Police Station who first interacted with Hotoran.
He said despite the initial chat with officers, police were continuing to investigate the background to the fire at Vajda House about 1am on Tuesday.
“As we sit here now we don’t know the reason that the fire was set off, the allegation will be that the person we arrested (Tuesday) night set the fire,” Det Chief Supt Bennett said.
“The police at Surry Hills who had the first interaction were very quick to realise this man was a suspect and they acted accordingly. Subsequent to that the Homicide Squad has been called in and he was arrested and charged.”
When police were initially unable to track down Hotoran, they feared he may have been among the dead.
A resident of Vajda House himself, Hotoran was charged with three counts of murder over the deaths of his former housemates, among them Pankaj Kumar.
Mr Kumar’s carer turned up for work at the boarding house just hours after the fire had been extinguished, having been unable to contact him over the phone. She had to be told by residents who had escaped that it was feared he had never made it out.
Detectives are continuing to try to identify the other two men whose badly burnt bodies lie in the rubble.
Eight people managed to escape the blaze. Two of those people remain in hospital, including 80-year-old Ronald Serich, who broke his legs after jumping from the second floor of the building. He is fighting for his life after suffering a heart attack in hospital.
Police will allege an accelerant was used to light the fire before it quickly spread across both floods of the building, leading to a massive explosion that blew out part of the second floor.
A five-litre jerry can was allegedly found under a car parked outside and seized by investigators.
Hotoran faced Central Local Court on Wednesday where court documents showed it would be alleged he intentionally or recklessly destroyed by fire the property of Albert Wong.
Police efforts to contact the Malaysian-born Mr Wong have been unsuccessful, despite officers attending multiple addresses linked to him and making contact with relatives.
Defence lawyer Adam Ly told the court the officer in charge of the fire probe had said there was “a lot more of the investigation to go”.
Magistrate Robert Williams adjourned the matter to May 12 and Hotoran will be on remand until then.
Mr Ly said his client was in a trying situation and did not know what Hotoran would be pleading.
“I’m not sure what he’ll be pleading at this stage, it’s very early on in the investigation,” Mr Ly said. “(He’s doing) as good as anyone who’s been charged with such serious matters would be … (it’s) very tough, he’s been charged with very serious matters and we will have to see what comes of the evidence and we will perhaps come back to court and make a decision on what he wants to do.”
All residents displaced by the fire have been placed in temporary accommodation, given clothing and cash thanks to local charities.
The Carlisle Castle Hotel, which sits opposite the boarding house and was a regular for many residents, is set to run a fundraiser in coming weeks to raise funds for the survivors.
Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne called on the state and local governments to urgently re-examine the regulation and management of boarding houses in the wake of the tragedy. Mr Byrne said he would be writing to Premier Dominic Perrottet to propose the joint review as the council works with police.
He confirmed the building that burnt down had its annual fire safety certification up to date and in order.
“In the aftermath of this horrific event there must be a renewed effort to improve safety and living conditions in boarding houses,” Mr Byrne said. “The exploitation of vulnerable people living in these shared homes has been a longstanding problem in Sydney.”
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