Stuart Lee: Paranoid man’s call to police minutes before he murdered neighbour Colin Bainbridge

A former emergency services volunteer told police “I’m going to go and murder my neighbours” just minutes before a horror fire attack.

Details of a shock threat delivered to police just minutes before a man doused a neighbour in petrol and set him alight have been aired in court.

Stuart Lesley Lee, 65, pleaded guilty to murder in the Supreme Court of Victoria on Wednesday over the horror fire attack in March 2023.

The court was told a hysterical Lee called the local police station just minutes before the attack claiming, “I need police here now”.

“If you’re not coming, I’m going to go and murder my neighbours,” he said.

Crown prosecutor Patrick Bourke KC said Lee’s victim, 66-year-old Colin Bainbridge, had been helping friends out by felling and clearing trees on their rural Wheatsheaf property, which neighboured Lee’s.

Mr Bainbridge lived with his wife Anita just a short distance up the same street.

The incident occurred at a property in Wheatsheaf, near Daylesford. Picture: 7NEWS

A cabinet maker by trade, Mr Bainbridge had started the project with his son Joshua on March 13 and returned the following morning to finish up.

In the afternoon of March 13, another resident drove past and stopped after seeing Lee standing at the boundary fence.

Mr Bourke said Lee “hit the wall running with rage” towards the bobcat Mr Bainbridge was using and his neighbours.

“He’d lived there 40 years, they’d come along (and) knocked down trees and not cared for the land,” the prosecutor said.

Less than 15 minutes after Mr Bainbridge and his son started work at 10am the next day, Lee appeared and began yelling at Mr Bainbridge.

According to Joshua Bainbridge, Lee told his father words to the effect of “get the f--k out of here or f--k off back to Melbourne”.

“I just told him to f--k off,” Joshua said his dad told him.

“Don’t worry about him, he’s just run off.”

Lee was arrested at the scene. Picture: 7NEWS

Lee, a former army reservist and SES volunteer, made six calls to police before grabbing a bucket of petrol and setting Mr Bainbridge alight.

Lee fled back into his home, with Mr Bainbridge telling his son: “I can’t believe this bastard has done me in”.

He suffered burns to 70 per cent of his body and died in hospital later that night.

Lee was arrested at his front door holding a cup of coffee and claimed to police he was “just defending himself”.

“I’ve had trouble with my neighbours, I threw petrol over the people and I lit him in flames, fire,” he said.

The court was told Lee had previously called police and threatened to kill a different neighbour in October 2020 by lighting him on fire.

In the call, Lee complained the neighbour was dumping and burning rubbish nearby, telling officers if they did not attend in 10 minutes he would “burn him”.

In statements to the court, members of Mr Bainbridge’s family remembered him as a kind and hardworking father dedicated to his family and community.

Forensic psychiatrist Andrew Carroll, who assessed Lee, told the court he had a longstanding personality disorder with features of detachment and paranoia.

Associate Professor Carroll said Lee’s condition had existed since childhood but had become worse in recent years, displaying an “increasing preoccupation” with perceived conflict with his neighbours.

Mr Bainbridge was flown to hospital but died later the same day. Picture: 7NEWS

Professor Carroll said this has continued in jail, with Lee complaining he was being bullied by other prisoners and staff are taking their side.

The psychiatrist said Lee still felt he was “justified” to attack Mr Bainbridge, and would likely react the same way if the same circumstances occurred again.

“He continues to maintain he doesn’t exactly feel guilty, he regrets the death of the victim but he maintains a sense that he did what he had to do,” Professor Carroll said.

Lee’s lawyer, Julia Munster, conceded her client had no justification for causing the horrific death of Mr Bainbridge.

But she said that his significant mental health issues must be taken into account when formulating the appropriate sentence.

The court was told prosecutors were not seeking a life sentence, but Justice Andrew Tinney warned it was a “live issue” he would consider.

The hearing will continue on Thursday.