Woman’s surprising statement to court as attacker sentenced for dousing her in fuel and setting her alight
A man has faced court for dousing a woman in petrol and setting her on fire as she slept, but the victim has made a surprising statement at his sentencing.
A Queensland man doused an innocent woman in petrol and set her alight as she slept in a “horrific and terrifying” attack, a court has been told.
But in a surprising move, Brisbane District Court was on Friday told the victim did not want her attacker, Matt James Nolan, to spend more time in jail for the attack.
Nolan was in the grips of a severe psychotic illness on the morning of July 25, 2017 when he launched the terrifying attack on the Bracken Ridge woman in front of her roommates.
The victim, Sigourney Coles, was left with significant burns to her upper body that required skin grafts. She has lasting scarring and nerve damage.
A packed gallery of family and friends supported Nolan, 30, as he fronted court.
He was initially charged with attempted murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of grievous bodily harm.
The court was told Nolan had mental health issues and was on a treatment program the month he launched the unprovoked attack.
Crown prosecutor Toby Corsbie said Nolan and Ms Coles were friends, and he had been staying at her Bracken Ridge home in the days prior to the offence.
He stayed the night of July 24 after a social barbecue where he had consumed alcohol but left the next morning.
Nolan returned at 10.25am as Ms Coles was sleeping in her bedroom.
Her roommate, who was playing with a dog that she was minding at the time, said Nolan appeared “robotic” and “unresponsive”.
Mr Corsbie said Nolan used a jerry can to douse the room and Ms Coles in petrol before igniting it and leaving.
“Her arms were on fire, her screams attracted the attention of her housemates,” Mr Corsbie said.
“She suffered burns to her arms, hands, chest, neck and lip.”
Mr Corsbie said Ms Coles required skin grafts, but she still had minor nerve damage and scarring from the attack.
After the attack, he said Nolan was hospitalised after suffering a seizure or mental health episode that required him to be sedated.
The court was told Ms Coles had not provided a statement to police but, she did not want to see Nolan serve “any further time in custody”.
“She indicated she did not want to provide a victim impact statement,” Mr Corsbie said.
Nolan was granted bail in April 2018 and placed on a treatment plan for his mental health issues.
Numerous medical reports were tendered to the court as Nolan, dressed in a dark suit, sat quietly through proceedings.
The court was told he had severe and “treatment-resistant” schizophrenia, and his state of mind was disturbed by ice use in the days before the attack.
In the years since the attack he had shown remorse and felt “incredible confusion” for his actions.
Defence lawyer Joseph Briggs said his client believed he could alleviate his schizophrenic delusions by using the drug ice.
The court was told it had been previously accepted that Nolan was “deprived of his capacity to know what he was doing was wrong”.
Mr Briggs said Nolan’s parents had struggled with treatment for their son’s mental illness.
“It’s a desperately sad thing for everybody,” he said.
Judge Vicki Loury reserved her decision until next week to consider the material. Nolan’s bail was continued.
Outside court, supporters loitered around the court entrance and flanked Nolan as he left the courthouse.
One of them abused a photographer and shouted “Get a real job” as they left in a waiting car.