A head sentence of two years' imprisonment (with parole after approximately six months) was appropriate for attempted arson where the offender placed a lit phone book with accelerant on a tiled floor in an isolated room of an unoccupied house, the offending was not pre-planned, the offender had no criminal history and good rehabilitation prospects, but the offending occurred in breach of a domestic violence order in the context of a broken relationship. The three-year benchmark for arson identified in R v Johnson [2005] QCA 265 does not confine the sentencing discretion and applies only where there is no fraud and the safety of others is not a consideration.
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