Arsonist's home is destroyed by fire in Wanganui

GUTTED: A second arson at this Gloucester St property meant it had to be demolished earlier this month. Photo / WGC

The owner of a Wanganui house which has been hit twice by arsonists has spent time in jail for lighting a hostel fire which claimed a man's life.

Tony McLennan, 44, was sentenced to nine years in prison for the 2004 blaze in Australia.

A jury found him guilty of arson and manslaughter in the Launceston Supreme Court in 2006, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. He had earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of theft.

However, Mr McLennan told the Chronicle he had nothing to do with the recent arson attacks on his Gloucester St house in central Wanganui. The fires occurred in November and earlier this month.

In the November attack - just two weeks after he moved in to the property - it is believed his car was set on fire in the carport, before flames spread to the house.

Mr McLennan said at the time that he had "lost everything" through water or smoke damage.

He did not have car or contents insurance but said the house was insured.

He had intended to fix the house up but after it was set on fire again on Saturday, January 3, it had to be demolished. Sixteen firefighters and four trucks attended that blaze.

In the Launceston hostel case 10 years ago, the court heard how Mr McLennan set fire to the Metro Backpackers hostel to hide thefts from the hostel safe. He was the night manager at the time.

The fire spread from a room under the stairs to the second floor, where 21-year-old Scottish tourist Callum Melville died from smoke inhalation.

Mr McLennan was originally charged with murder, but the jury instead found him guilty of manslaughter, the paper reported.

He had a history of lighting fires in New Zealand, the Examiner newspaper reported.

In 1986, he lit five fires in five months at his workplace, for which he was convicted and put on a two-year probation order.

For the hostel fire, Justice Peter Evans sentenced him to eight years' imprisonment for arson and manslaughter, and a further year for the thefts.

He was paroled in 2011.

Yesterday, Mr McLennan told the Chronicle: "I wasn't involved with the house fire."

He did not believe the fires were related to his past, and declined to comment further.

The police officer investigating the fires, Detective Constable Reece Sievwright, said police were aware of Mr McLennan's past but it did not change the way the investigation was handled.

"You can't have your blinkers on," Mr Sievwright said. "You obviously look at everyone."