Erica Helen Bennett attempted arson trial continues at Hobart Supreme Court

A woman was in such a state of hopelessness at the time she set fire to her North Hobart unit that she was unable to negotiate her way out of a difficult situation, a Supreme Court jury has heard.

Erica Helen Bennett attempted arson trial continues at Hobart Supreme Court. Picture: Leigh Woolley

A WOMAN was in such a state of hopelessness at the time she set fire to her North Hobart unit that she was unable to negotiate her way out of a difficult situation she was in, a Supreme Court jury has heard.

Erica Helen Bennett has pleaded not guilty to attempted arson. Ms Bennett’s lawyer Rochelle Mainwaring previously told the Supreme Court jury in Hobart she did not dispute her client lit the three fires in her unit, but that Ms Bennett was so mentally unwell at the time and should not be held criminally responsible.

Forensic psychiatrist Michael Jordan told the jury on Friday he spoke to Ms Bennett after the fire.

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The court heard Ms Bennett had been diagnosed with depression and borderline personality disorder.

Dr Jordan said Ms Bennett told him she had not taken her antidepressant medication for three to four weeks before the fire.

“Her mental deterioration was particularly bad in the last few days leading up to the fire,” he said.

He said Ms Bennett also told him about “difficult circumstances” at the unit complex where she lived, including an alleged incident where an individual came to her door and pointed a gun at her.

Dr Jordan said Ms Bennett had “retreated into herself” and lacked the ability to find a way out of the situation she was in.

The trial, before Acting Justice David Porter, continues.

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