Adam Troy Parker: Wedding guest lit fire that killed dog in Warrnambool

A Warrnambool family was left struggling to pick up the pieces after their home was destroyed and dog killed in an “inexcusable” arson.

A wedding guest who went off the rails while partying, assaulting revellers and burning down a home with a dog inside, will face up to 15 years of jail time.

Adam Troy Parker, 43, returned to the County Court on Wednesday after he was found guilty of arson, reckless conduct endangering life and assault.

The court heard Parker, who had grown up in Warrnambool, returned to the southwest city for a wedding on New Year’s Eve in 2020.

Adam Troy Parker, 42, was found guilty of burning down a Warrnambool home, endangering life and assault on New Year's Eve in 2020. Picture: Facebook / Adam Parker

After the wedding, he travelled to a home with three other revellers to “continue celebrating”, before becoming increasingly drunk and aggressive.

Parker punched a man in the face after accusing him of stealing his alcohol and assaulted the home’s resident when she tried to “diffuse” the situation.

When she threatened to call the police, Parker was heard saying: “f--- that b---- if she wants to dog I’ll burn the house down”.

“I will f---ing kill you all, I’ll burn this place down,” another witness later told police Parker said.

The other wedding guests distanced themselves from Parker but later the same night a fire “destroyed” the family home causing an estimated $108,000 in damage.

In a victim impact statement, the woman said she felt betrayed by someone she had considered a friend and had lost everything in the fire.

Defence lawyer, Rohan Barton told the court his client was unaware the home’s resident was looking after her brother’s dog at the time, which was found to have died from smoke inhalation.

He said Parker had spent much of the past decade behind bars but had “turned his life around” at a residential rehab facility in Shepparton while on bail.

“Provided he stays away from Warrnambool, his prospects are really good,” Mr Barton argued.

“He plans to move and reside in Shepparton when released.”

Sentencing was adjourned until early November by Judge Anne Hassan who said she needed time to consider the appropriate sentence.

“It‘s a breach of trust, he was a guest in her home, he was a friend,” she said.

“He burned down because of some alcohol or drug-fuelled anger.”