A former publican has been accused of increasing the pub's contents insurance premium before deliberately setting it on fire in 2022.
Supplied: Fire and Rescue NSW Station 230A trial has started in the NSW District Court for a former publican accused of deliberately setting fire to a pub in 2022.
Prosecutors allege David Robert Culican increased the pub's contents insurance before starting the blaze.abc.net.au/news/bombala-publican-accused-deliberate-fire-pub-financial-gain/106643844A jury has heard a former publican allegedly set fire to a historic hotel after increasing the contents insurance premium months earlier. David Robert Culican has pleaded not guilty to a charge of dishonestly damaging property by fire or explosive for gain, and an alternative charge of damaging property to the value of more than $15,000Mr Culican faced the first day of a jury trial at Queanbeyan District Court on Tuesday.
The court heard the 42-year-old took over the building's lease in 2019 and lived on-site with "many of his personal belongings" at the time of the fire. In her opening address, a solicitor appearing for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions alleged the Campbelltown man was struggling financially due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and a competing hospitality venue in town.
"The accused's profits were heading out the door at a rate the accused couldn't seem to stop," Crown prosecutor Ms Mackenzie told the court. The court heard that Mr Culican increased the contents insurance claim for the pub from $180,000 to $480,000 in November 2021, which prosecutors alleged "created an incentive" to destroy the contents of the property.
"He could walk away with a handy little insurance payout. That's what we say was his financial gain," Ms Mackenzie alleged. Mr Culican was allegedly captured on CCTV footage "wearing a balaclava and also carrying a blowtorch" before getting into his nearby vehicle about 4:13am on the morning of the fire.
Supplied: Fire and Rescue NSW Station 230The court heard he could be seen on CCTV footage "moving large amounts of personal items" around the pub on the night of the fire.
"The accused denied lighting the fire and suggested it could have been caused by a gas heater," Ms Mackenzie told the court. A Triple Zero call was made to authorities at 4:19am when nearby campers, who gave evidence to the trial on Tuesday, awoke to the fire. The building, which was built in 1857 and located on Bombala's main street, had to be demolished after it was destroyed.
During his opening address, Mr Culican's defence barrister, Richard Thomas, told the jurors to wait to consider all expert evidence before making a judgement on the cause of the fire.
"There were a range of possible accidental causes for the fire. Mr Thomas told the court that Mr Culican increased the insurance premium because the building had been taken over by new owners, who needed an updated premium done.
"He'd invested quite a lot in the property and that wasn't reflected in the insurance policy," Mr Thomas told the court. The defence also dismissed claims that the business was struggling and said Mr Culican was moving items around the pub in preparation for a potential upcoming lease change. A series of witnesses are expected to give evidence across the trial before Judge David Scully, which is anticipated to run for 10 days. Get our local newsletter, delivered free each Thursday
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