Foreword: On the 18th February I’ve added a timeline regarding the arson case which makes it a bit easier to keep track of what happened when. On 16th February a court has removed the supression order on naming Brendan Sokaluk. Please keep in mind at this stage he has only been accused and has not been found guilty. Some facts and figures might be out of date due to the dynamic nature of news on the event and some website links may no longer work as Victorian Police are actively working to supress information on the accused.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or without internet access for a week like I was, you’d know about the bushfires that have scorched Victoria over this last week.

In a nutshell 400,000 hectares burnt, 1800 homes lost and 189 people have been declared dead so far with predictions of reaching 300. It’s the biggest bushfire disaster we’ve seen in this country. What was alarming was the police claims that arsonists could be to blame for some of the fires. Here you have these huge fires raging and destroying people’s homes and burning alive their friends and relatives and then the police announce that some of the fires could have been deliberately lit. What a recipe for disaster.

Late last week police made an arrest on a man who allegedly lit the fires in Churchill which claimed at least 21 people. On top of this he was also charged with possessing kiddie porn. A magistrate has banned publication of the man’s name despite the fact that apparently his neighbours gave him up and people were beating down on the van carrying him away from the court in Morwell.

I’m in two minds about the supression order. For one I find it disgusting that yet again the mental defense is being dragged out and the accused’s lawyer is claiming his client is “in a fragile mental state”. Honestly who gives a shit? Fragile mental state or not ram the law down his throat and whatever happens in court, happens.

Having said that, I can also see the rational side of the order; ordered to protect the accused. Now everyone is entitled to a fair trial (bullshit mental defense aside), and it is very easy to see how their isn’t a jury in Melbourne who would aquit the 39 year old from Churchill based on the current emotional state most of the population are in about the fires. Honestly I have no idea how the legal system is going to handle this case and form an unbiased jury. It’s a very difficult task and I don’t envy the system, regardless of whether details of the accused are publicly confirmed or not.

Brendan Sokaluk's myspace photo

A myspace profile was up at time of publication and seems to fit remarkably well the profile of the man currently in custody. Ironically it states “my heroe (sic) is mother earth, without her we all would be dead”. I would like to clarify that until the supression order is lifted there is no proof that Brendan Sokaluk is the man in custody at the moment. I do not claim he is the man currently in custody or that he is responsible for anything.

One of the problems I see with this case is that the man in custody is most likely going to bear the guilt of not only the fire he allegedly lit, but all fires. Survivors and family members of people affected are desperately wanting to blame someone. Just today a class action has been filed against the Brumby government and Singapore company Ausnet who are  responsible for power line maintenance. They claim the government and Ausnet were negligent in maintenance and a split power line is what caused the fire so they want to cash in. This comes as fires are still burning and before any formal investigations have been carried out.

Whether he goes to prison or whether he is released, this man is going to have a hard time living in Australia. I mean if his neighbours gave him up it’ll spread like wildfire and I guess it’s only a matter of time before it is concrete confirmed beyond a myspace page and goes public despite the order. Last year the courts tried to supress the Channel Nine series ‘Underbelly’ from being screened. Despite the first four episodes being leaked on the internet before the series even aired, half of Victoria was downloading the show from Bittorrent minutes after it finished airing in the rest of the country anyway. Maybe Derryn Hinch can come out of retirement and lead the way on this bushfire case.

Police are looking for this man in relation to the Ivanhoe fires

In terms of the accused becoming a scapegoat, one only needs to look at some of the foreign crazy racist websites to see that misinformation and hidden agendas have already come out. On February 12th, police released a kit image of a unmistakable middle eastern/Indian man they are after in relation to a fire that was started in Ivanhoe, completely isolated from the main fires. A quick google search brings up a few hits of misinformation being spread where people are all to quick to witchhunt the “browns” and claim “His fire killing spree is more prolific than most serial killers” despite the suspect in the kit having nothing to do with the major fires. Another website shows the kit photo and proclaims “This
is what happens when yo let third world Shitskins into civilized white living spaces. Hopefully the Ozzies will be pissed off enough to throw the Shitkins out and send them packing back to their backwards hell holes in body bags if they do not leave peacefully.””

The irony being that these two websites even link to news articles explaining the kit photo and the non-relation to the life destroying fires. So you can imagine, if people overseas are quick to jump on the middle eastern bashing bandwagon over arson what many still-grieving Australians emotionally tied so closely to the event might be capable of.. Unfortunately the media doesn’t help with reports over forest jihads being called for on a muslim website late last year. Apparently the site called on muslims in Australia and other countries to “start forest fires” because “scholars have justified chopping down and burning the infidels’ forests when they do the same to our lands”. Authorities have been quick to dismiss these claims though.

This man is wanted over stealing bushfire relief funds

Personally I feel that if you’ve got some hate in you or grief you need to get out of your system don’t waste it on muslim jihadists or the accused arsonist until we have more   information, instead why not be productive and direct it at the losers who are looting abandoned properties. Or how about this clown on the right who decided to rob a bushfire relief collection tin from a Werribee RSL to play the pokies.

Yes there’s a lot of things to be angry about over these bushfires, but until due course has run deep down I have to admit I think the police have got it right so far in regards to the arson suspect. His next hearing is on Monday, I can only imagine the uproar it will cause if there’s even the slightest whiff of ‘I was mentally ill and had no idea what I was doing”. But we’ll have to see.

Footnote (15/02/09 8:30pm): So I’m not sure how supression orders are supposed to work, but the Melbourne Magistrates court website has published full details of the hearing tommorow at 10am here. Details of the accused are there for the public to see go figure.

Footnote2 (16/02/09 10:02am): On Brendan’s myspace profile, there is a comment in the ‘interests’ section “my interest are to enjoy life to the fallest (sic) and not with alexandra because she roots behind your back and lies a lot”. Alexandra appears to be an ex and has her own myspace page; Interestingly enough she is a member of the CFA.

Brendan also has a MyYearbook which is still up. It hasn’t been updated for 24 days but lists his status as “Brendan no one love him” and he is a member of the group ‘Teens (13-19)’.

News outlets are starting to name the suspect, the Mirror in the UK have published Brendan’s name in an article about the bushfires. The Mail Online also based in the UK have gone one step further and published a photo of Brendan.

Footnote3 (16/02/09 4:11pm): Brendan’s myspace profile has been pulled so I’ve edited the photo from it just in case. I’ve reproduced the Myspace page below, note some personal details which might breach the supression order have been removed.

Click to enlarge:


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1. Timeline of events, Brendan Sokaluk suspected arsonist