Sebastopol arsonist Jamie Lawton faces Ballarat County Court for setting man’s house on fire

A Sebastopol firebug used petrol, paper, and a cigarette lighter to start a fire in a man’s bedroom that spread as she ran away.

A Sebastopol woman set a man’s house on fire in early 2024. Picture: File

A Sebastopol woman used a cigarette lighter to set a man’s house on fire after an argument turned ugly.

Jamie Lawton faced Ballarat County Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to arson.

The court heard that on February 5, 2024, Lawson – 29 at the time – had an argument with a man.

The pair exchanged a “voluminous” number of “heated” messages before Lawton drove a motorised scooter to the person’s home in Mount Helen.

She arrived just before 10pm while the man was absent.

Lawton told him: “You won’t have a place left” and “You don’t need this place anyway”.

Inside, she found a petrol generator that she dragged into a bedroom, tipped the petrol onto the bed, and used a cigarette lighter to burn paper that she threw onto the fuel.

The court heard Lawton only meant to set the bed alight, but fearful, she escaped through the house’s front window as the blaze spread.

She will be sentenced later this week.

Lawton’s bail was extended.