A Perth man who set his partner on fire, leaving her with severe burns to 22 per cent of her body, has been sentenced to nine-and-a-half years jail.
In August 2020, Daniel James Boldison, 40, used a lighter to set fire to petrol he had splashed around the bedroom of the Medina home he shared with Andrea Atkins-Greed.
Some of the petrol had splashed onto Ms Atkins-Greed and she was immediately engulfed in flames.
The District Court was told she ran outside where neighbours tried to help her by putting her under a shower, but State Prosecutor David Davidson said the pain was so excruciating she asked them to kill her.
A friend of the couple, who had gone into the bedroom to try to stop to Boldison, suffered burns to his foot, while Boldison received burns to his lower limbs and arms.
Mr Davidson said all three required hospital treatment, particularly Ms Atkins-Greed who suffered third degree burns to her arms, abdomen and legs — she now has scarring and still suffers pain.
Boldison angered by lack of cannabis, alcohol
Mr Davidson told the court on the day of the incident, Boldison, who had a history of domestic violence offences, had been angry because there was not any cannabis and alcohol left in the house.
He said when Ms Atkins-Greed told him she was going to leave him, Boldison was heard to say he was going to "burn the house down with her inside".
When the friend tried to stop him, he replied by saying: "I don't give a f**k if she burns."
Boldison had initially planned to defend the charges at trial, but in May this year he pleaded guilty to two charges of causing grievous bodily harm — an arson charge was dropped.
His lawyer, Ian Hope, submitted that Boldison was genuinely remorseful, saying when paramedics arrived at the scene, he directed them to treat Ms Atkins-Greed first.
He also kept asking if she was okay and the next day posted a message on social media saying how much he loved her.
Mr Hope said his client had been diagnosed more than a decade ago with chronic anxiety and depression and his primary intent on the day had been to harm himself.
'A terrible way to hurt somebody'
Judge Linda Petrusa accepted that Boldison was genuinely remorseful, but she said the use of fire was "particularly egregious" saying it had also resulted in an innocent bystander being injured.
"When you use fire it is a terrible way to hurt somebody … it continues to burn even after the flames are put out … and it's unpredictable and uncontrollable," she said.
"You did it for no good reason, in a fit of pique."
Judge Petrusa sentenced Boldison to nine years and six months jail.
He will have to serve seven years and six months before he can be released and with time already served his earliest release date is in early 2028.
'I'm petrified of him'
Ms Atkins-Greed sat in the back of the court as the sentence was handed down.
Outside she said Boldison had "got what he deserved".
"I kept on breaking down and crying in court … I'm petrified of him," she said.
Ms Atkins-Greed said everyday living for her was now very difficult.
"I can't sleep at night-time, I find it difficult just to do food shopping on a daily basis," she said.
"I can't leave my house without breaking down in tears and freaking out, I have to have my housemate with me."
She also had a message for other women who are suffering at the hands of their partner.
"Just leave them. Because at the end of the day they're not worth your life, they're not worth going through all the heartache, but bulls**t they put you through."
