Arsonist Quoc Pham sets light to Fresh Chilli Deli in Sunshine

An arsonist who tried to burn down a popular Sunshine bakery and torched an ex-housemate’s car showed no remorse, a court has heard.

Fire bug Quoc Pham, 51, set light to his former housemate’s car and a popular Sunshine deli, Sunshine Magistrates’ Court heard.

An arsonist who set fire to a popular cafe in Sunshine in front of shocked witnesses has been locked up.

Quoc Pham, 51, faced the Sunshine Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, January 12, where he was jailed for at least two years for setting fire to the Fresh Chilli Deli and a man’s house in 2019.

Magistrate Amina Bhai told the court Pham drove to the Vietnamese bakery in Hampshire Rd, lauded in Google reviews for its tasty banh mi rolls, on January 29, 2019, with the clear intent of setting the small business alight.

Pham then poured the accelerant on the cafe’s door and bin and set them ablaze.

Shocked witnesses tried to stop Pham’s escape by slashing the tyres on his car, the court heard, but he fled on foot, leaving firefighters who arrived soon afterwards to put out the fire.

“You drove to that cafe in the early hours of the morning and had with you an accelerant,” Ms Bhai told the court.

“I don’t know why you committed the offence or targeted the cafe, but it was clearly pre-planned.”

In June that same year, after he was kicked out of his St Albans shadehouse, Ms Bhai told the court Pham threatened his former housemate that “I’m going to burn your place up”.

He delivered on those threats when he returned the property on September 11 and torched the man’s car, causing up to $8000 worth of damage.

He also assaulted the man days later.

“That was no idle threat .... you returned to that address … again the offending was clearly planned,” Ms Bhai told the court.

Ms Bhai said Pham lacked remorse and had indicated to the court that he intended to return home to Vietnam once released from prison.

She said she suspected he suffered from mental health problems, but she had no proof because he refused to meet with a court psychologist.

The need to protect the community from Pham’s actions also figured prominently in the sentence she would hand down, she told the court.

Pham pleaded guilty to charges including two counts of arson, assault, make threats to damage property, property destruction and weapon possession.

Ms Bhai convicted and sentenced him to a maximum of two and a half years’ jail.