The Advocate
MELBOURNE, Australia — A former volunteer firefighter who lit a catastrophic Black Saturday fire that killed 10 people knew his actions would cause damage but did not intend to kill anyone, a judge said while sentencing the man.
Victoria’s worst-ever killer Brendan James Sokaluk, 42, was jailed for 17 years and nine months yesterday over the deadly February 2009 fire at Churchill in east Victoria.
Sokaluk, who has autism spectrum disorder, kept his head down and appeared to be drawing throughout the sentencing.
He didn’t react as Justice Coghlan announced he would not be eligible for parole for 14 years.
Families of victims killed in the fire welcomed the sentence, saying they were not seeking revenge.
The fire destroyed 156 homes and burnt 36,000 hectares.
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