Arsonist bailed to flats he set alight

Wellington City Council is scrambling to try to reverse a court decision that has bailed an arsonist back to the council flats he had repeatedly set fire to.

Gerasinos Macridis, 42, pleaded guilty in Wellington District Court on Tuesday to five counts of arson after setting fire to chairs, a rug and a pram, twice, in the council flats in Berhampore's Rintoul St in the past two months, The Dominion Post reported.

His latest fire was on Monday when he put newspapers on a chair in the lobby and lit it.

Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean said the fires had caused thousands of dollars in damage and the council did not want Macridis staying in the building.

"We're considering our options as a matter of urgency."

Macridis lives in the building, which houses up to 30 other families, with his elderly mother.

Acting Detective Sergeant Blair MacDonald said the fires were small and did not spread because the surrounds were concrete, but the "potential risk to the public was huge".

It is understood one of the driving reasons Macridis was granted bail was because he cares for his mother.

Macridis will be sentenced on November 20.

- NZPA