Bradley Robert McGaw pleads guilty to litany of charges including fires in Point Lonsdale, Geelong
An arsonist who sparked a fire in Point Lonsdale committed a series of crimes on the same day and dating back several years, a court has heard.
Geelong
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An arsonist who lit two fires in Geelong earlier this year has pleaded guilty to a series of crimes in the lead up to the blaze and dating back several years, a court has heard.
Bradley Robert McGaw, 41, faced the Geelong Magistrates Court this week where he admitted to deliberately lighting fires in Point Lonsdale on January 7 and in Geelong on January 5.
The Bellarine blaze caused more than $5000 in damage and burnt around 8000 sqm of private land on a day of total fire ban.
It destroyed vegetation and gardens and was sparked on Glaneuse Rd, just a few hundred metres inland from the beach and the town’s seaside cafe and shopping strip.
According to court documents, Mr McGaw stole a mountain bike valued at $1000, two bottles of relish, biscuits, dip, kabana and a pepsi valued at $74 on the same day.
He also destroyed a doorbell camera and two rocking chairs at a Point Lonsdale property, valued at $500, and stole a set of ride on mower keys worth $50.
Two days earlier he damaged a fridge door and committed other petty thefts before lighting a fire in Geelong.
The court heard he also committed a number of alcohol thefts in Bendigo and Kangaroo Flat last year.
He pleaded guilty to more serious matters committed in Bendigo in 2022 and 2023.
These included making a threat to kill, possessing a controlled weapon, behaving in a riotous manner in public, three counts of assault, drunk in public and property damage.
The court heard a victim impact statement from one woman abused by Mr McGaw.
On one occasion he jumped out of bushes to spit on her and said “he was going to come back and kill”.
“I believe until the day I die he will always be a problem for me,” the statement said.
Magistrate Ann McGarvie will sentence him at a later date
It comes after the Geelong court was forced to stand down for about 10 minutes during the hearing due to an evacuation.
It’s believed a smoke alarm was triggered in a toilet.
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