A man facing nine charges, including arson, is accused of setting fire to a heritage-listed grandstand at a Melbourne racecourse, causing millions of dollars in damage and disrupting racing fixtures. He remains in custody awaiting further court appearances.
A man accused of setting fire to a heritage-listed racecourse grandstand will remain behind bars after facing court on Wednesday. He was charged with nine offences – four counts of arson, two of trespass and one each of burglary, criminal damage and theft. The alleged firebug was arrested at Mordialloc train station on Tuesday after a major blaze tore through the grandstand.
The fire likely caused millions of dollars of damage and disrupted racing fixtures with a meet scheduled for Wednesday moved to Mornington. Bird is accused of lighting a blaze on the grounds and another three grassfires at nearby Attenborough Park. He faced court wearing a grey T-shirt on Wednesday morning, flanked by custody officers, where he did not apply for bail. His defence lawyer said Bird had a diagnosis of schizophrenia and asked for custody nurses to examine him and give him his medication. Magistrate Vincenzo Caltabiano asked Bird to stand as he told him he would be remanded in custody to appear back in court on 1 April. Police on Tuesday said Bird once lived in the area of the fires but it was many years ago and he had no known links to the racecourse or racing industry. Incident controller Dennis Smith said the fire caused significant damage to the stand and originated in a bar on the first level. “I’m not a builder, but from what I’ve seen this morning the damage will be in the millions,” he said. Melbourne Racing Club chair, John Kanga, assured members the grandstand would be rebuilt, with the extent of the full damage still being determined. The racecourse is in the middle of a $300m redevelopment, first announced in 2019, including works to the Norman Robinson stand. In December, the MRC agreed to sell a $195m parcel of land at the site to Mount Scopus Memorial College for the school to build a new campus. Melbourne Football Club also plans to build a training and administrative base at the racecourse by 2028
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