Caleb Kenneth Allen cops jail sentence for helping firebug who started Beachlands blaze in Geraldton

A 25-year-old man has been jailed for 13 months over his role in a 2019 fire which burnt 500sqm of bush and threatened homes in Beachlands. Caleb Kenneth Allen appeared in Geraldton District Court on Monday for sentencing on a charge of knowingly assisting a person that had committed an offence. Police had initially accused him of wilfully lighting a fire likely to injure or damage — an offence which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison — but downgraded the charge after he denied he lit the fire but admitted he drove an unnamed woman, who lit the fire, away from the scene. Allen has also pleaded guilty to lighting a fire earlier the same day in bushland near a lookout on Chapman Valley Road and is awaiting sentencing in the Magistrate’s Court. Prosecutor Edward Myers told the court the fire was lit about 12.30pm on October 16 in dense bushland on Crothers Street, burning through a large area and coming within 50m of homes. He said a witness saw Allen enter the bushland just before the fire started and leave the scene a short time later in a Holden Rodeo. An hour later, he was stopped by police who found a blue lighter, a black blowtorch and two cans of deodorant in the vehicle. His lawyer, Julia Gray, said he had had a “significant amount of methamphetamine” with the woman earlier that day and had been walking through the bushland looking for a bag, which had been stolen from his car. “He saw that there had been a small fire and got scared, she jumped in the car and they drove away,” she said. “He has provided the details of his partner to the police, but to the best of our knowledge, she had not been charged with the offence.” Sentencing Allen, Judge Fiona Vernon found that he had panicked and acted “without contemplating” the ramifications of his actions and had helped the woman escape punishment. She said Allen, who has been in custody for 408 days, would be eligible for release immediately. He will return to Geraldton Magistrate’s Court on May 24 for sentencing on 12 further charges including burglary, possession of prohibited drugs with intent to sell or supply and lighting a fire in an area subject to a total fire ban.