Five years for unit fire

The court heard Kennedy arrived at the third-floor unit in Owens Lane in the early hours of June 6 and assaulted a woman before leaving and telling a neighbour the man who lived in the unit would “go down for this”.

Kennedy drove to a petrol station, bought $10 of fuel, and returned to light a fire, the court heard.

Defence barrister Sally Robb said Kennedy wanted to “smoke out” the residents.

She said Kennedy had not intended to start a large blaze, but a neighbour trying to douse the fire caused it to spread down the stairs when trying to move the jerry can.

“She was setting a fire on the top floor of the building ... the result she produced was exactly the result she expected,” Judge David Kent QC replied.

Mr Kent drew comparisons to Brisbane’s infamous Whisky Au Go Go nightclub fire in the 1970s when 15 people died.

Residents told police they heard a “loud swooshing sound” before blue flames up to a metre high rushed under the doorway. Several people were burnt. Kennedy had to be rescued from a balcony.

The court heard she was heavily intoxicated on sleeping pills and Xanax and had little memory of the day. The fire caused $356,000 in damage.

Mr Kent sentenced her to five years jail. She will be eligible for parole in November 2018.