Grandmother gets suspended sentence for torching home after being left out of will

A Tasmanian woman who burned down her home of almost 40 years has received a suspended prison sentence. Eileen Joyce Davey, 69, pleaded guilty to arson after setting fire to the Montana Road property near Deloraine in October 2024. The court heard she was motivated by family breakdown and feelings of betrayal.

“

Before finally leaving, when everyone else had left, you lit the fire. You said you were angry … if you cannot live there, nobody else would because you would burn it down.

Davey had lived in the home with her husband, Alan Walker, for 38 years. After his death in December 2023, she learned the property had been left to her daughter-in-law. Justice Robert Pearce acknowledged Davey's "betrayal" was "easy to understand" as her husband had not made her a beneficiary.

“

betrayal

"Before finally leaving, when everyone else had left, you lit the fire," Justice Pearce stated. "You said you were angry … if you cannot live there, nobody else would because you would burn it down." The property was largely destroyed in the blaze.

“

He did not make you a beneficiary of his will.

Considering Davey's early guilty plea, "considerable hardship," and "illiteracy and lack of knowledge" that contributed to her situation, Justice Pearce opted for a merciful approach. Her two-year sentence was suspended for 18 months. A $270,000 compensation order was issued, but the court recognized a low likelihood of payment.

“

I have concluded I should adopt a merciful approach.