Jury in County Court find man guilty of burning down his house
A man who once donned the St Kilda jumper in the under-19s torched his Wodonga property while under financial pressure.
Albury Wodonga
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A man who once played for St Kilda’s under-19s torched his own home while under financial pressure, a court has heard.
Jeffrey King, 54, appeared for a plea heading in the County Court in Melbourne on Wednesday following a jury returning pleas of guilty on charges of arson and attempting to obtain property by deception.
King set fire to his house in Fade Court, West Wodonga, in June 2015, with neighbours forced to help save animals and neighbouring property.
King was remanded on bail to appear for sentencing on February 21.
Judge Sarah Leighfield said as much as King disagreed with the jury’s verdict, she urged him to keep in contact with corrections which would assess his suitability to undertake a Community Corrections Order.
The Crown submitted a period of jail, combined with CCO, were needed given the fact arson was a serious offence and that there was a need to denounce such offending.
King’s lawyer said community work hours with supervision conditions and perhaps treatment for mental health were the appropriate outcomes.
King has had a stable upbringing, completed a boiler apprenticeship and by and large had been gainfully employed through his adult life, he said.
King is presently unemployed but is seeking work.
The court heard he’d been actively involved in sports, having played for St Kilda under-19 side and was playing volleyball weeks before the fire.
His lawyer said losing his house would affect the quality of King’s retirement and that he and his supportive wife continued to pay mortgage on the property until last year when the land was sold.
His lawyer said it was unlikely the Kings would be able to ever buy a house again.
There’s been a considerable delay in finalising his case and King has co-operated with authorities, he submitted.
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