Adelaide man jailed after trying to set ex-partner, dog on fire
The Adelaide man’s victim was just seconds from a horrific fate during the terrifying incident.
A southern suburbs thug has been jailed after trying to set his former partner on fire following weeks of “insidious” behaviour toward a woman who had “put up with his issues” for years.
The man, who cannot be named to avoid identifying his victim, appeared in the District Court last month for sentencing after pleading guilty to contravening an intervention order by an act of violence.
Judge Ian White noted the 2024 incident occurred in the aftermath of a property dispute, when the man, in his 50s, threatened to sell the woman’s caravan and the belongings located inside.
“When she said ‘you can’t do that, it’s registered and insured in my name’, you replied ‘I thought you said the caravan was mine’,” Judge White said. “She responded ‘it’s only yours if I’m dead’ to which you replied ‘we can fix that then’, before throwing a beer bottle under the table, smashing it on and around her feet.
“You stood up and opened a petrol can, stating ‘I’m going to pour petrol on you and set you on fire then’.”
The court heard the man unscrewed the lid and began splashing it on his victim – with some of the petrol going on the table, her clothes, her open drink and inside a bag on the ground.
“You lit the petrol with a cigarette lighter,” Judge White said. “You were laughing when you did this.
“The petrol caught fire. Both she and her dog were standing in the petrol. They jumped back.
“She was understandably petrified. She ran to her car, reversed out of the property, drove away and called the police.
“After she left you sent her numerous voicemail messages, asking what she was doing, calling her names and threatening her. This can only be described as truly deplorable behaviour in light of what you had just done to her.”
A series of text and audio messages exchanged between the two in the weeks prior to the offending, Judge White remarked, were “insidious” and highlighted the “emotional manipulation she had to endure”.
“Get off the meth. Do ur job. Clean,” the messages, obtained by The Advertiser, said.
“I don’t need you, you don’t f**k, you don’t suck, you don’t put out.
“What time you coming home you fat c**t.
“F*g guts, c**t face, f**ken maggot breath, f**ken go f**k some little rice pig.
“Yeah my old lady might have been a hoe bag and a sl*t but f**k me she didn’t put me into an orphanage so that’s all good no worries ‘orpho’ now I know why you’re such a dog (laughing) cause you got chucked out. Your mum didn’t care about you (laughing), that’s pretty sad actually.”
Judge White sentenced the man to six years imprisonment with a non-parole period of four years backdated to October 1, 2024.
More Coverage
Originally published as Adelaide man jailed after trying to set ex-partner, dog on fire
