Christchurch man who torched historic villa jailed for nearly five years

Jonathan Brown was sentenced at Christchurch District Court today.

A man who torched an historic $5.4m Christchurch villa has today been jailed for nearly five years.

Jonathon Gary Brown, 40, earlier admitted the arson of the 105-year-old Park Terrace house, bordering Hagley Park, on January 24 this year.

No one was inside the family home at the time.

But it's unlikely to be repaired given the extensive damage - estimated to be worth around $3m.

Property owners Thomas and Laura Mckellow have been left "truly devastated".

An updated property valuation of $5.4 million was revealed to Christchurch District Court today.

Brown left and re-entered the house four times late at night, the court heard, before using his cigarette lighter to set alight a stack of towels and sheets.

The house which was significantly damaged' by a fire in Christchurch. Photo / George Heard

He said that while he was inside the house, "a feeling came over him and he wanted to light a fire".

The fire spread and quickly engulfed the house.

Brown, who the court heard has longstanding issues with alcohol dependency, wrote a letter of apology for the judge ahead of today's sentencing hearing.

Judge Quentin Hix said the home was the "pride and soul" of the whole whānau and its loss has been devastating for all of them.

He accepted Brown's remorse and sentenced him to four years, eight months in prison. Making a reparation order was not realistic, the judge said.

The Mckellows earlier told the Herald a family member and some friends were visiting for the weekend but were out at the time of the incident.

"They returned home to find the house in flames," Thomas Mckellow said.

"We are truly devastated by the loss but are just thankful no one was asleep upstairs at the time.

"My wife and I have worked tirelessly to restore the property to its former glory from earthquake damage and this is a real blow to us."

He added: "We would like to thank emergency services for their quick response and efforts to control the fire."

The villa was one of only four left in Park Terrace's historic area. Of the 15 individual buildings that made up the historic area, four remained after the earthquakes.