A man accused of lighting more than 30 fires in bushland near Ulupna Island told police he was “trying to flag down a plane in the sky or he was going to die”, a court has heard.
Brendan Helmore, 44, of the Bendigo suburb of Golden Square, unsuccessfully applied for bail in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, April 2.
He is charged with reckless conduct endangering serious injury, intentionally causing a fire, recklessly causing a fire, and possessing methamphetamines.
Cobram Crime Investigation Unit Senior Constable Lachlan Fraser said fire investigators had found 33 ignition points in a 2.5 sq km area in bushland in the Barmah National Park near Ulupna Island on Saturday, March 30, which police allege were lit by Mr Helmore.
Sen Constable Fraser said police believed Mr Helmore had a drug-induced psychosis at the time.
Sen Constable Fraser told the court two people spotted three or four fires in the area.
They told police that en route from the first fire, they spotted Mr Helmore without any clothing on and with a gas blow torch in an Esky, Sen Constable Fraser said.
When police spoke to Mr Helmore at his campsite at Ulupna Island at 3.50pm, he admitted setting the fires.
Sen Constable Fraser said about 300 people were camped within 2km of the fires, with the first spotted only about 300m from the nearest campsite.
“Multiple witnesses said they were scared for their safety as they could see smoke,” Sen Constable Fraser said.
Forest Fire Management Victoria does not expect to be able to declare the area as safe from fire until April 4.
The court was told Mr Helmore admitted to police that he was a regular ice user and had used the night before.
“He said he thought he was starving and was going to die and set multiple fires to flag down a plane,” Sen Constable Fraser said.
The officer said police opposed bail as they believed he was a risk to the safety of others.
“This accused is in a deep psychosis and believes his delusions are 100 per cent real.”
However, the officer said he told police he knew he was at a campsite but was “selfish” and “needed the plane to stop”.
A registered psychiatric nurse told the court Mr Helmore had suffered a depressive episode and psychosis in January.
He also told the court Mr Helmore told him he “constantly has a fear someone is out there to get him”, which he said was a delusional paranoia.
The nurse also said his impression was Mr Helmore “may have been impacted from the use of ice” at the time of the incident.
Mr Helmore’s solicitor Emily Newlan said the risks surrounding her client could be ameliorated through bail conditions around mental health and drug use and that he continued to see his doctor, who he said he had been seeing regularly.
Ms Newland asked he be granted bail as his time spent on remand could be higher than if he was sentenced.
However, prosecutor Acting Sergeant Caitlin McLeod argued prison was within range if he was found guilty, saying the incident was “significantly serious”.
“By luck … there was not harm done to the community who were within an arm’s throw (of the fires),” she said.
“There a risk of him re-using (drugs) and entering into the sort of psychosis that has put people at real risk.
Magistrate Peter Mithen described it an “unusual case” and said the prosecution case was of “considerable strength”.
He refused bail, saying the risk of Mr Helmore endangering the public was too great at this stage.
Mr Helmore will return to court in July.