Strip club arsonist jailed

File photo / NZ Herald

A Chilean man who tried to torch a Wellington strip club after he was ejected has been sentenced to eight months in prison.

Andre Javier Araya Navarro, 23, last month pleaded guilty to charges of arson and intentional damage.

He had been at Dream Girls on August 27 when he got into an altercation with security and was removed from the premises, police said.

He walked home, changed his clothing and put a metal hammer into an inside pocket of his hoodie.

Navarro then went to a nearby service station where he filled a container with petrol before picking up his bicycle and returning to the strip club about 6.30am.

He poured petrol around the entrance and side of the building, then lit it.

Taking the hammer from his pocket, he struck the front windows multiple times, shattering the glass.

He was held by security staff before police arrived.

Two glass doors had to be repaired and the premises were scorched.

Navarro, who had not previously been before the court, said he had been angry at the time.

Judge Bruce Davidson sentenced him to eight months in prison in Wellington District Court today.

The charges carried a maximum charge of two years' jail.