School inferno ‘started as prank’

PAUL Hamstra and some of his mates went to their old school on Anzac Day 2016 to “melt” and “mess up” lockers as part of a late-night prank, a court was told yesterday.

After they left, a section of St Andrew’s Lutheran College at Tallebudgera almost burnt down, causing $7 million of damage, it is alleged.

In the Southport Magistrates Court yesterday, Hamstra, who is yet to enter a plea for two counts of arson, thought the fire was out when the group left.

The 21-year-old’s co-accused Harrison Rogers and Jackson Plass are expected to have their matters dealt with in the Southport District Court next month.

Another friend Blake Coleman, who had arson charges against him dropped, told the committal hearing he went with the other teens on a “school run” to play a prank at St Andrew’s.

During the school run he saw Hamstra put lighter fluid on top of one of the lockers and light it, the court was told.

Mr Coleman said the small fire went out quickly leaving plastic on the locker melted.

Later he saw Hamstra light an exercise book in a different locker, the court was told.

“I could only see Paul at the locker and he had his arms in it,” he said. “I could just see the glow (of a fire).”

The group was aged 18 and 19 at the time of the fire.

Mr Coleman, who is terminally ill and gave evidence from a separate room, said Hamstra shut the locker and he thought the fire had gone out. Mr Coleman said no one opened the locker again to make sure the blaze was extinguished.

The group was not aware the school block had burnt down until it saw the news the next morning, he said.

Hamstra’s lawyer Chris Nyst, of Nyst Legal, asked Coleman if he was “absolutely shocked” to learn the school was damaged.

“Yes,” he replied. Mr Coleman said it did not occur to him the fire could spread from paper into the lockers and throughout the school.

Mr Nyst asked: “This was just a silly schoolboy prank which went dreadfully wrong?” Mr Coleman replied: “Yes.” The court was told it was common, when they were at school, for students to break-in at night and “mess up” lockers.

Hamstra’s former partner Emillie Sutherland told the court she spoke to Hamstra the next day and he was on the verge of tears about the fire.

She said he told him he thought the fire was out.

The court was told she also sent a text message to her sister, Charlotte Sutherland.

“He will be okay because he didn’t have these intentions,” the text said.

The committal hearing was adjourned until May 15.