SARNIA - A city man who set his mother’s home on fire with three people inside on Christmas morning because he believed he’d been teased about his weight was jailed for 18 months Tuesday.
Matthew Douglas, 25, pled guilty earlier in Sarnia court to arson, and confessed to the crime while standing at the fire scene.
Douglas’s family was emotionally and financially devastated, Justice Ann McFadyen told the court.
The Sole Street home sustained an estimated $200,000 damage, but because Douglas was living there the insurance company won’t pay for repairs.
On the morning of Dec. 25, 2008, Douglas tried to set fire to a carpet and a chair, but failed.
He then started fires in two closets, blocking the home¹s escape routes. He had previously disabled a smoke alarm.
Defence lawyer Ed Gresham said Douglas only intended to scare the family with some smoke but the fire got out of control.
He believes family members teased him about being overweight, a claim the family rejected in a pre-sentence report, Gresham said.
As fire spread through the home, Douglas’s mother and a brother jumped from a window to escape the heat and flames. A visiting uncle managed to flee through a door.
Douglas, who was outside, assisted them.
“Somebody else's grace protected those people, not his action,” assistant Crown attorney Randy Evans said during an earlier court appearance. “They were defenceless and he would have known that.” In the pre-sentence report, Douglas’s mother called the crime a “stupid horrible mistake” that didn¹t warrant jail time.
It also indicates Douglas still blames his family for his actions.
The mother may not want him jailed, McFadyen said, but Douglas has a lot of work to do to rebuild the relationship.
A psychiatric report indicated he suffered from stress at the time but cited no mental illness.
Gresham argued for house arrest, noting Douglas had no prior criminal record.
But McFadyen said jail time was necessary for a “very serious” arson.
She also imposed two years probation when he must take any recommended counseling.
Douglas, a heavyset man, departed the courtroom quietly.
nbowen@theobserver.ca
