Liam and Luke Brown front Shepparton County Court after torching home as residents slept
Two brothers who torched a property of people they knew as they lay fast asleep in bed have fronted the Shepparton County Court.
Goulburn Valley
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Two brothers who torched a Shepparton house in a violent rage while three innocent residents lay fast asleep have fronted the Shepparton County Court.
Liam Mitchell Brown, 27, pleaded guilty to one charge of reckless conduct endangering others, one charge of arson and one charge of making a threat to inflict serious injury.
Luke Anthony Brown, 33, pleaded guilty to one charge of reckless conduct endangering others.
On July 5, 2020, a fire began in the unoccupied front bedroom of 85 Olympic Ave, Shepparton which destroyed a house belonging to David Hume, Emma-Radford Burner and Travis Hume.
The Brown brothers knew the Hume brothers, and attended the address where Rebecca Hume was present at the time.
Liam Brown asked Ms Hume to let them into her house, but she said she didn’t have keys. When she asked what his problem was, he replied “you’ll see”.
The brothers returned later, at 7.46am according to CCTV footage, and entered the house.
Liam Brown was seen carrying a yellow propane blow torch inside the house on vision played to the court.
The vision, which was taken from a motion sensitive Go Pro, shows Liam Brown holding the blow torch to the side of a television and setting it on fire, as Travis Hume lay asleep only metres away in his bed.
Liam Brown then attended Rebecca Hume’s empty bedroom and lit it on fire with the blowtorch.
The brothers then fled the scene about two and a half minutes after entering the property, as smoke engulfed the house.
Travis Hume, David Hume and Emma Radford-Burner fled the property after waking up to the thick smoke and a loud banging noise.
The brothers were then arrested on the following day, July 6.
Firefighters fought the blaze but the fire had destroyed the house.
The house was worth $250,000 and belonged to the Department of Health and Human Services.
The prosecution read out a harrowing victim impact statement from Emma Radford-Burner, one of the three sleeping residents.
Ms Radford-Burner said the “crime has permanently scarred me”, while she was unable to enjoy the “simple pleasure of a camp fire”.
Following submissions by both the prosecution and defence, elders from the Koori Court spoke with Liam Brown.
When asked if he was sorry for what he had done, Liam Brown nodded and said “yes”.
One of the elder’s told Brown, “you have taken that (their house) away from someone”.
The court heard that Liam Brown has three young children with his partner.
His partner, who supported him in court, was asked by Judge Arushan Pillay if he was a good father, and she said “yes”.
The defence told the court that their mother had died in the lead-up to the offending, causing the brothers significant grief.
The court heard that both brothers suffer from drug abuse issues, but that their prospects of rehabilitation are good.
The matter was adjourned for further plea at a later date.
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