Arsonist faces court after failed attempt to burn down a house in Bendigo

A war of words between a group of Bendigo neighbours turned ugly when one twice in one night to torch the house of one of his foes.

Robert Larson lit a fire below the window of a weatherboard house in Bendigo while its occupant was fast asleep.

An unemployed Bendigo man engaged in a long-running war of words with neighbours attempted twice in one night to burn down the house of one of his foes.

Robert William Larson, 56, of Golden Square, appeared in the County Court on Friday for a plea hearing and was further remanded in custody for sentencing on March 25, having previously pleaded guilty to one charge of arson and another of breach of parole.

Larson lived on Burrowes St in Golden Square, next to Shane Bracken whose former partner Katrina Hynes would regularly stay with Bracken.

Ms Hynes was aware of previous disputes between Mr Bracken and Larson.

On one occasion when Ms Hynes was staying at Mr Bracken’s unit, she observed Larson shining a torch through Mr Bracken’s window. On another occasion, Larson told Ms Hynes that ‘you could do better than that Kat’.

Arsonist Robert Larson pleaded guilty in the County Court at Bendigo to setting fire to a house while its occupants slept.

Ms Hynes lived on Maple St, about 500m away, with a friend Les Ermel.

About 1.20am on August 29, 2022 a resident of Maple St, Dane Simmons, became suspicious of Larson’s presence in the area.

He saw Larson use natural firelighters to set fire to the wood below the window on the front of the weatherboard house Mr Ermel and Ms Hynes lived in and drove away.

Mr Simmons used a bucket of water to extinguish the fire before returning home.

Shortly after, he saw Larson stumble out of his car and walk up to the same damaged window that he set alight.

Mr Simmons called 000 when he saw Larson use a lighter near the damaged window.

Larson appeared heavily intoxicated and fell asleep on the ground after being handcuffed.

Mr Ermel didn’t wake up until after police arrived.

In his victim impact statement, he said he was lucky to be alive.

“He knew I was there, this happened in the middle of the night. I am sure he was going to kill me, burn me to death. I am lucky to be alive.

“The street was deserted in the middle of the night and if someone didn’t notice him, I could have been dead.”

Police was called after a witness saw Robert Larson use a lighter outside a house where he had earlier lit a fire.

Mr Ermel said he was woken up by loud voices and thought there was a party until he went out the front and saw police.

“I could have been incinerated. I was angry that I had been targeted. I felt violated. I’d done nothing to deserve it. I still don’t know what it was about.

“It’s been six months now and I still wake up when I hear noises. I use alcohol to get through what happened. It helps me to sleep and keeps me asleep.

“I don’t need to be too paranoid yet because he’s still locked up. I can’t move. I am not in a financial position to relocate. When he does get out, he might come back to finish the job,” Mr Ermel said.