A Bulli man will face court for sentencing in December after setting fire to his public housing unit during an hours-long stand-off with police, causing more than $20,000 in damage.
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Mathew Colin Hobbs pleaded guilty to one count of damaging property by fire in Wollongong Local Court this week.
A set of agreed facts tendered to the court reveal Hobbs' ex-partner phoned police just before 10.30 on the morning of August 15 seeking help to collect property from Hobbs' home.
Hobbs phoned triple zero at 10.35am and said officers were not required at the house, then told them he was going to burn the woman's house down.
Police arrived at Hobbs' Hutton Avenue home a short time later and saw a child's bike, a hair dryer, a large umbrella and clothing burnt on the front lawn.
The property belonged to the victim.
Officers approached Hobbs' unit and he immediately began yelling, telling them "f--k off, f--k off, leave me alone".
He also began kicking at the front door from inside the home.
Police attempted to speak with Hobbs, at which time they noticed he was holding a glass cylinder containing a liquid that smelled like petrol.
He began pouring the liquid around the entrance to his unit then set it alight.
The fire spread inside and outside the unit door.
He continued to yell at police, saying "f--k off, leave me alone".
Police immediately evacuated nearby residents from their homes and grabbed fire extinguishers from their vehicles and an industrial high pressure water cleaner from a passerby.
The fire was eventually extinguished, however thick, dark smoke engulfed the stairwell, prompting police to retreat from the area and set up a perimeter.
Hobbs continued to yell at the police to "f--k off" and refused to come out of the house.
Police negotiators and tactical officers were called in at the height of the siege, resulting in Hobbs being subdued and arrested without further incident just before 1.30pm.
The court heard Hobbs' entire unit was destroyed by smoke and the front door had been scorched by fire, resulting in an estimated $20,000 damage bill.
Officers also discovered Hobbs had two 9kg gas bottles hanging in his bedroom when they eventually got inside the home.
Hobbs was taken to hospital and scheduled for a mental health assessment, at which time it was revealed he'd been released from hospital just hours before the incident.
He was arrested and charged upon his release three days later.
