A man has pleaded not guilty to lighting three grass fires in the Hunter - one of those while he was on bail after being charged for the first two blazes.
Daniel Jay Tudor will likely face a hearing early next year over three counts of intentionally lighting a fire and being reckless as to its spread.
Singleton Local Court heard on Thursday that Mr Tudor's representatives planned to lodge an application to have the 23-year-old's charges dismissed on mental health grounds.
The court heard that Mr Tudor's representatives were waiting on an expert report on which they would base the application and that the Hunterview man had a "level of intelligence of someone who is much, much younger than his years".
According to court documents, Mr Tudor allegedly lit a fire in grassland near Rose Point Park at Singleton in the early afternoon of August 11.
About 24 hours later, he allegedly sparked another blaze that caught onto vegetation on Sewerage Works Road at Glenridding.
He was charged less than two hours after he lit the second fire and was released on bail when he faced court.
Mr Tudor was at liberty under strict conditions when he allegedly lit a third grass fire near the intersection of Wattle Ponds Road and Monterey Road at Wattle Ponds on October 10.
The State Crime Command's arson squad detectives arrested him as part of Strike Force Tronto.
Magistrate Kevin Hockey on Thursday adjourned the matter to December 14. Mr Tudor remains on bail.
