What started as a former JJ Richards employee's plan to get back at his boss during an argument has turned into a 12-month jail sentence for arson.
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Gavin Hach, 33, was angry in February last year because he was told he needed to produce a medical certificate before returning to work.
Instead, he grabbed a 10-litre container of petrol, drove to the Wodonga depot and set two waste trucks on fire.
Judge Marilyn Harbison told Wangaratta County Court yesterday it was a very serious and dangerous act, which cost the company at least $700,000.
She sentenced him to 12 months in jail, plus a five-year community corrections order – including 500 hours of unpaid work or treatment – when released.
“With strict supervision, you have the chance to put this offending behind you,” Judge Harbison said.
“I have decided to give you an opportunity to show you can manage in the community.”
At the time he lit the fires, on the night of February 18 last year, Hach has been suffering mental health problems and has since been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and as someone who struggles to control his impulses.
Judge Harbison said she was concerned Hach initially showed no remorse, telling a psychologist his crimes were justified and he should have burnt down the factory too.
But after being in custody since November, his attitude had changed during another evaluation in February.
“You have now acknowledged your guilt and have significant remorse for your actions,” she said.
“This is a very positive development.”
The judge said she was concerned Hach might not engage well with a community corrections order, because in jail he dealt with his anger by retreating to his cell alone to be in a “safe space”.
But she said a longer jail sentence should only be a last resort and Hach was someone with no criminal record before this offence.
He was assessed by Corrections as having a “high-risk of reoffending” and Judge Harbison warned him to not commit any further crimes when he is released later this year, saying she believed he had good prospects of rehabilitation.
She also ordered Hach pay compensation to JJ Richards for its financial loss, but noted he was unlikely to be in a financial position to make the payment.
The court heard Hach planned to move away from Wodonga and live near Melbourne once released.