Former RFS volunteer Alex Noble, jailed for two years
A former volunteer firefighter has been sentenced to two years' jail for lighting more than a dozen fires before suiting up to help fight them.
Newcastle Local Court heard Alex Noble, 22, lit 15 fires in Lake Macquarie in 2012 and last year.
The former Rural Fire Service (RFS) volunteer was caught after police became suspicious about the speed with which he was responding to the fires.
All of the blazes were small grass fires, with most lit in cooler conditions.
The Newcastle Local Court heard Noble was fascinated by fire, with a psychiatrist's report finding he fitted the description of a pyromaniac.
Noble's lawyer Mandy Hull requested leniency from the court, saying "his motive for the offences, albeit misguided, was to gain experience in fighting fires".
Magistrate Ian Cheetham noted Noble's remorse and sadness for letting the RFS down.
In sentencing, he said he had to "reflect on the seriousness of the offence and community expectation of people who deliberately light fires".
But Mr Cheetham found Noble's prospects of rehabilitation were good if he underwent counselling.
Noble will be eligible for parole in December 2015.
Noble is also due to stand trial in relation to two charges a devastating fire at Catherine Hill Bay in October 2013.
That blaze burned for weeks before scorching winds pushed it through the beachside town, where it threatened homes and an iconic pub before destroying the historic Wallarah House and the Jetty Master's Cottage.
