Jyson Lalara set fire to chairs at Angurugu community police station in desperate act to help suicidal girlfriend

A young man who waited hours for emergency services to help his suicidal girlfriend chose to light a fire at a remote cop shop in an ‘act of desperation’ to save her life.

Jyson Lalara appeared in the Darwin Local Court on Wednesday to plead guilty to a single count of property damage after burning two plastic chairs at Angurugu community police station on December 9, 2024.

A Territory man who watched his girlfriend suffering in a mental health crisis for hours without help lit a fire at a police station in a “desperate” bid to save her life.

Jyson Lalara appeared in the Darwin Local Court on Wednesday to plead guilty to a single count of property damage after burning two plastic chairs at Angurugu community police station on December 9, 2024.

Judge Tanya Fon Lim was told the 27-year-old Groote Eylandt man’s actions were an “act of desperation” in response to a “crisis in the home”.

His defence lawyer told the court that Lalara’s partner was suffering from a violent mental health episode, in which she was self-harming and attempting to take her own life.

“He began calling police at 4pm in the afternoon, and by eight o’clock no one had turned up,” she told the court.

“The problem is, in order to get the ambulance to the house to have a look at her they need police to arrive first.”

“But the police didn’t come, (so) the ambulance wouldn’t come, and they were stuck in this crisis.

“He called and called and called and no one came.

“In a desperate act he went to the police and burnt the chairs in order to get some attention, so police would come to his home for his partner.”

In an ironic twist, once the cops arrived at the home they issued Lalara a notice to appear for the damage, but no ambulance turned up to help his distressed partner.

Lalara’s lawyer said it took her a few days of recovery at the home before she was able to take herself to the local clinic.

It comes as the Territory’s emergency call wait times lag behind national standards for the third year in a row, with 26 per cent of triple-0 calls ringing out for more than 10 seconds.

While police aim to answer more than 90 per cent of triple-0 calls within 10 seconds, yet the latest NT Police annual report said only 74 per cent of the 217,798 emergency calls met this target in 2023-24.

The Darwin Local Court heard that while Lalara had priors for property damage in his five pages of criminal history, she pushed for a lesser sentence as “these were strange circumstances and the actions of a desperate man”.

“He acknowledges he did the wrong thing, he’s pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity,” his lawyer said

Ms Fong Lim sentenced him to a supervised community corrections order, which includes a community work provision.

Originally published as Jyson Lalara set fire to chairs at Angurugu community police station in desperate act to help suicidal girlfriend